Autoimmune Disease Flashcards
(152 cards)
What are autoimmune diseases caused by? Are they rare or common?
- caused by immune reactions against self
- They affect at least 1% to 2% of the U.S. population
Generally 3 characteristics are needed to classify a disease as being of autoimmune etiology. What are they?
- The presence of an autoimmune reaction
- Evidence that such a reaction is not secondary to tissue damage. (resulting from infection, but is of primary pathogenetic significance)
- The absence of another well-defined cause of the disease.
The autoimmune disorders form a spectrum. What is on each end of the spectrum?
- on one end of which are conditions in which the immune response is directed against a single organ or tissue, resulting in organ-specific disease
- on the other end are diseases in which the autoimmune reaction is against widespread antigens, resulting in generalized or systemic disease
Be able to give some examples of organ specific autoimmune diseases
- Hashimoto thyroiditis
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
- Autoimmune atrophic gastritis of pernicious anemia
- Multiple sclerosis
- Autoimmune orchitis
- Goodpasture syndrome
- Autoimmune thrombocytopenia
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Myasthenia gravis
- Graves disease
Be able to give some examples of systemic autoimmune diseases
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Sjögren syndrome (SS)
- Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis)
- Reiter syndrome
What are the two major forms of Lupus erythematous? What is the 3rd form?
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE)
- Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE)
Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) can be divided into 3 main subtypes. What are they?
acute, subacute, and chronic
What is Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE)
is a common form of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus
When does Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) occur?
in the absence of systemic disease, or it may occur in association with (progression to) SLE
The risk of progression to SLE in patients with DLE is 16.7% within ____ years of diagnosis according to a 2011 study.
3
Drug-induced lupus erythematosus has many features in common with SLE and characteristically develops in people who have ______________
no history of systemic autoimmune disease
the drugs with the highest risk for drug-induced lupus erythematosus are what
Procainamide and hydralazine;
incidences of ~ 20% for procainamide and 5 - 8% for hydralazine
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototypical multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by the production of what?
numerous autoantibodies, especially antinuclear antibodies (ANAs)
What is the peak incidence age for Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
15% - 17% of SLE cases occur prior to the age of 16 years, with the peak incidence being in the age range of 20 to 40 years
SLE occurs ____ times more frequently in females age 17 to 55 years, and has a ___ times higher prevalence among blacks and Hispanics than in whites
- 9
- 2 to 3
What is the etiology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
the specific etiology of SLE is still not known with certainty, but immunocomplexes, autoantibodies, and genetic, infectious, environmental, and endocrine factors play significant roles
The fundamental systemic pathologic mechanism in SLE is a failure to maintain ______, leading to the production of a large number of autoantibodies (e.g., ANAs) that can damage tissues secondary to _________
- immunological self-tolerance
- immune complex deposition
The fundamental pathologic mechanism (production of lots of autoantibodies) features of systemic lupus erythematosus are consistent with what type of hypersensitivity reaction?
consistent with a type III hypersensitivity reaction directed against the affected tissues and organs
In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), autoantibodies specific for red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets opsonize these cells and promote their phagocytosis, resulting in cytopenias. What type of hypersensitivity is this?
These features are consistent with a type II hypersensitivity reaction directed against blood cells
The formation of autoantibodies in patients with SLE is thought to be related to what?
decreased functioning of suppressor T-cells and hyper-(auto)reactive B-cells
Immunocomplexes, consisting chiefly of ______ and _____ antibody, account for the majority of the tissue damage seen in SLE
- nucleic acid
- IgG
Immunocomplexes in SLE set off immunologic reactions that activate _____ and attract _______
- complement
- neutrophils and macrophages.
What is the result of immunocomplexes being formed in SLE?
- The result is vasculitis, fibrosis, and tissue necrosis
- Severe disease, especially affecting the kidney
- Immunocomplexes also account for tissue damage in the central nervous system, skin, and lungs
What are genetic factors of SLE?
- Familial association
- HLA association
- Other genes (genetic deficiencies)