Arthritis and Lupus Flashcards
Give 3 clinical features of lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Skin rash (complexes of DNA/anti DNA in skin). Joints (non-erosive arthritis). Sicca symptoms (salivary problems). Glomerulonephritis (injury to part of the kidney that filters the blood). Neurological (damage to the CNS).
What are Fc receptors?
Found on lymphocytes/ natural killer cells they bind to antibodies attached to infected cells.
Give 2 mechanisms of antibody injury in SLE.
Direct cytotoxicity - antibodies bind to thrombocytes and red blood cells. Immune complex formation - e.g. skin rashes, glomerulonephritis. Trigger pro-inflammatory response - in cells carrying Fc receptor. Promote NK cell activation and/or cytotoxicity.
What is the treatment for SLE?
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Low doses of corticosteroids.
What are Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)?
They are a group of enzymes that in concert are responsible for the degradation of most extracellular matrix proteins .
What cytokines are produced by macrophages once they are recruited to the cell?
Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF). Interleukin - 1. Interleukin - 6.
What would you find in serological tests for a patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis?
↑ antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) in 95% of individuals. ↑ rheumatoid factor (RF) in 50–75% of individuals with/without rheumatoid arthritis.
What is Rheumatoid factor?
An autoantibody.
Name 2 treatments for rheumatoid arthritis?
NSAIDs. Biologic DMARDs e.g. Adalimumab, etanercept (intercept ), infliximab particularly effective (block TNF-alpha, which is thought to underlie most joint damage), Abatacept (suppresses T cells), Rituximab (suppresses B cells), Anakinra (blocks IL-1), Tocilizumab (blocks IL-6)
Name 3 disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.
Adalimumab. Abatacept. Riuximab. Anakinra. Tocilizumab. Etanercept. Infliximab.
