autoimmunity

Examples of autoimmunity in the following topics:

• The Roles of Genetics and Gender in Autoimmune Disease

  • Autoimmune diseases are very often treated with steroids.
  • Autoimmunity should not be confused with alloimmunity.
  • While a high level of autoimmunity is unhealthy, a low level of autoimmunity may actually be beneficial.
  • A person's sex also seems to have some role in the development of autoimmunity, classifying most autoimmune diseases as sex-related diseases.
  • Define autoimmunity and explain how it gives rise to autoimmune disease

• Cytotoxic Autoimmune Reactions

  • Autoimmune diseases are very often treated with steroids.
  • Autoimmunity should not be confused with alloimmunity.
  • A person's sex also seems to have some role in the development of autoimmunity, classifying most autoimmune diseases as sex-related diseases.
  • According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), autoimmune diseases that develop in men tend to be more severe.
  • The reasons for the sex role in autoimmunity are unclear.

• Autoimmune Diseases

  • Autoimmune diseases are an inappropriate immune response against tissues in the body.
  • Autoimmune diseases are commonly considered complex immune disorders.
  • This has led to a "common cause hypothesis" of autoimmune disorders.
  • However, defects of one or more of these genes do not cause an autoimmune disease, but only predispose a person for an autoimmune disease.
  • The factors that trigger an autoimmune disease are still unknown.

• The Complement System and Heart Disease

  • In autoimmune heart diseases, the body's immune defense system mistakes its own cardiac antigens as foreign, and attacks them.
  • Autoimmune heart diseases result when the body's own immune defense system mistakes cardiac antigens as foreign, and attacks them, leading to inflammation of the heart as a whole, or in parts.
  • The most common form of autoimmune heart disease is rheumatic heart disease, or rheumatic fever.
  • A typical mechanism of autoimmunity is autoantibodies, or auto-toxic T-lymphocyte mediated tissue destruction.
  • Aetiologically, autoimmune heart disease is most commonly seen in children with a history of sore throat caused by a streptococcal infection.

• Hypersensitivities

  • The types of hypersensitivities include immediate, delayed, and autoimmunity hypersensitivities.
  • Most types of autoimmunity involve the humoral immune response.
  • Autoimmunity can develop with time; its causes may be rooted in molecular mimicry.
  • These antibodies can damage heart muscle with autoimmune attacks, leading to rheumatic fever.
  • Distinguish between the disruptions to the immune system caused by allergies and autoimmunity

• Cell-Mediated Autoimmune Reactions

  • Cell-mediated autoimmunity can happen by several mechanisms involving cells of the immune system and their receptors.
  • Several mechanisms are thought to be operative in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, against a backdrop of genetic predisposition and environmental modulation.
  • When tolerance to self proteins is lost, DQ may become involved in autoimmune disease.
  • Two autoimmune diseases in which HLA-DQ is involved are celiac disease and diabetes mellitus type 1.
  • Define cell-mediated autoimmunity and describe the mechanisms that are thought to operate in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease

• Adrenal Gland Disorders

  • One subtype is called idiopathic or unknown cause of adrenal insufficiency. 80% are due to an autoimmune disease called Addison's disease or autoimmune adrenalitis.
  • For chronic adrenal insufficiency, the major contributors are autoimmune adrenalitis, tuberculosis, AIDS, and metastatic disease.
  • Autoimmune adrenalitis may be part of Type 2 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome, (which can include type 1 diabetes), hyperthyroidism, autoimmune thyroid disease (also known as autoimmune thyroiditis and Hashimoto's disease).

• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

  • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that can occur in any organ or tissue in the body.
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus, often abbreviated to SLE or lupus, is a systemic autoimmune disease (or autoimmune connective tissue disease) that can affect any part of the body.
  • As with other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body's own cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage.
  • It is the prototypical autoimmune disease.

• Hypersensitivity

  • A hypersensitivity reaction refers to an overreactive immune system triggered by allergies and autoimmunity.
  • Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction) refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity, and are commonly mediated by antibodies.
  • Associated disorders: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, Erythroblastosis, fetalis, Goodpasture's syndrome, Membranous nephropathy, Graves' disease, Myasthenia Gravis.

• Maturation of T Cells

  • This process does not remove thymocytes that may become sensitized against self-antigens, which causes autoimmunity.
  • The potentially autoimmune cells are removed by the process of negative selection.
  • These cells may be protective against autoimmunity.
  • Many autoimmune disorders are primarily antibody-mediated, but some are T cell mediated.
  • These autoimmune disorders may be caused by problems in negative selection and tend to have genetic components.