Immune Dysregulation Disorders
Immune dysregulation disorders are pathological conditions in which the body’s natural immune-regulatory mechanisms fail to maintain the balance between immune defence and self-tolerance. When these mechanisms break down, the immune system loses its ability to distinguish between external threats and the body’s own tissues, leading to autoimmunity.
A central element of this imbalance is dysfunction of regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs). Tregs act as the immune system’s “referees”; when their function is impaired or their numbers are reduced, pro-inflammatory lymphocytes may act without adequate control.
Treg dysfunction is a common feature across a remarkably broad spectrum of autoimmune diseases, from lupus and rheumatoid arthritis to inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmune neuropathies.
Characteristics of Immune Dysregulation Disorders
Immune regulation depends on a complex network of cellular and molecular interactions. Regulatory T lymphocytes produce anti-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-10 and TGF-β, which help suppress autoimmune responses.
At the same time, signalling pathways such as mTOR, which are directly influenced by cellular oxygenation, regulate the balance between different T-lymphocyte subtypes.
This relationship between cellular oxygen levels and immune balance is biologically important. Oxygenation does not affect only cellular metabolism; it also directly influences immune programming. Under hypoxic conditions, T cells are driven towards pro-inflammatory phenotypes, whereas adequate oxygenation favours the development of regulatory phenotypes.
Scientific Studies
Cellular and animal studies have shown that hyperoxygenation through hyperbaric oxygen therapy may increase both the activity and number of regulatory T lymphocytes, inhibit the differentiation of Th17 cells and restore immune balances disrupted by chronic inflammation or autoimmune activation.
These findings have also been reported in clinical studies involving patients with multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
The potential of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to restore the Treg/Th17 balance represents one of the most promising emerging findings in scientific literature, particularly because this balance is a common therapeutic target across almost all autoimmune diseases.
The Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
In immune dysregulation disorders, hyperbaric oxygen therapy targets a fundamental biological mechanism underlying autoimmunity: impaired immune regulation that allows the immune system to attack the body’s own tissues.
By restoring the Treg/Th17 balance, inhibiting NF-κB signalling and promoting anti-inflammatory cytokine activity, it may create a biological environment that favors immune tolerance rather than autoimmune attack.
This intervention is always used as an adjunct, supporting rather than replacing pharmacological immunomodulation.
The treatment course is individualised according to the underlying immune disorder. It typically consists of 20 to 40 sessions and is always carried out under rheumatological or immunological supervision.