immunosuppression

American  

[im-yuh-noh-suh-presh-uhn, ih-myoo-] / ˌɪm yə noʊ səˈprɛʃ ən, ɪˌmyu- /

noun

Pathology.

1. the inhibition of the normal immune response because of disease, the administration of drugs, or surgery.

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immunosuppression British  

/ ˌɪmjʊnəʊsəˈprɛʃən /

noun

1. medical suppression of the body's immune system, esp in order to reduce the likelihood of rejection of a transplanted organ

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immunosuppression Scientific  

/ ĭm′yə-nō-sə-prĕsh′ən,ĭ-myo̅o̅′- /

1. Suppression of the body's immune response, as by drugs or radiation, in order to prevent the rejection of grafts or transplants or to treat autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• immunosuppressed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of immunosuppression

First recorded in 1960–65; immuno- + suppression

Example Sentences

Current treatments rely largely on immunosuppression, which does not work for everyone and can leave patients vulnerable to relapse.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

The researchers point to earlier work on beaked whale circovirus that suggested a link to immunosuppression, a pattern that aligns with how circoviruses affect some land mammals and birds.

From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026

She said some people were more susceptible to complications from measles than others, including small babies under the age of one, pregnant women and people with immunosuppression.

From BBC • May 28, 2025

In 2014, she was diagnosed with a genetic condition—so rare that it has no name—that caused immunosuppression, bouts of volatile blood pressure, and peripheral vision loss.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 4, 2023

There were a few more xenotransplants in the 1990s, but it became clear that better immunosuppression alone would not solve the problem.

From Scientific American • Oct. 19, 2023