Halsey’s Rare Organ Disease Explained – Health Digest

Your immune system has a host of white blood cells that battle disease and infection. One type of white blood cell is a lymphocyte, and you have two kinds of lymphocytes. Antibodies produced by B cells knock down foreign substances that can make you sick, and T cells destroy your own cells that have been compromised by a virus or cancer.

A T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder occurs when your body has too many of these T cells. The National Cancer Institute says treating these disorders is similar to cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. In Halsey’s montage of her treatments, you can see her in the hospital receiving medicine through an IV.

Some types of T-cell disorders include certain kinds of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or leukemia. People with compromised immune systems are at a greater risk for a T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder. According to the Johns Hopkins Lupus Center, people with lupus have a high risk of developing lymphoma and other cancers.