A major risk of immunosuppressant therapy is increased susceptibility to which problems?

• A. Hypoglycemia
• B. Cancer and infections
• C. Hyperlipidemia
• D. Dehydration

Answer: (B)

Immunosuppressants dampen the immune system, lowering the body's ability to fight infections and to surveil for abnormal, potentially cancerous cells. With reduced T-cell–mediated immunity and overall immune surveillance, patients become more prone to infections—often opportunistic ones—and to malignancies that arise when transformed cells escape detection. This combination of higher infection risk and increased cancer risk is the most significant and consistent consequence of suppressing immune function, especially with long-term use in transplantation or autoimmune disease.

While some metabolic effects can occur with these drugs, such as lipid changes from steroids, those are not as central as infections and cancers to the risks of immunosuppression.