Autoimmune Disease Flashcards
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)
How are familial associations a genetic factor for SLE?
- Family members have an increased risk for the development of SLE, and up to 20% of clinically unaffected first-degree relatives may have autoantibodies.
(There is a high rate of concordance in monozygotic twins (25%) versus dizygotic twins (1% to 3%))
How are HLA associations a genetic factor for SLE?
The odds ratio (relative risk) for persons with HLA-DR2 or HLA-DR3 is 2 to 3, and if both haplotypes are present, the risk is about 5.
What are environmental factors of SLE?
- Ultraviolet (UV) radiation (sun exposure)
- Cigarette smoking
SLE is _____ times more common in women during reproductive years than in men of similar ages but only ____ times more common in women during childhood or after the age of 65
- 10
- 2 to 3
How do Infectious (Viral) Factors play a role in patients with SLE?
- Virus-like particles of RNA viruses have been detected in tissues of SLE patients and are thought by some to initiate the abnormal immune response
- EBV, CMV, and VZV may have increased frequency
What are some Immunologic Abnormalities in SLE?
- Type 1 interferons
- Toll-like receptor (TLR) signals
- Failure of B cell tolerance
How are Type 1 interferons affected in SLE?
Blood cells in patients with SLE show a striking molecular signature that indicates exposure to IFN-α; patients with SLE may also produce abnormally large amounts of IFN-α
How are Toll-like receptor (TLR) signals affected in SLE?
TLRs that recognize DNA and RNA, notably the DNA recognizing TLR9 and the RNA-recognizing TLR7, produce signals that activate B cells specific for self nuclear antigens
Defects in both central and peripheral B cell tolerance result in a higher frequency of _____ cells in patients with SLE
autoreactive B
SLE is a disease with ______ involvement. There is no typical pattern of presentation
multiorgan
In SLE, Kidney involvement in the form of _____ is seen in ~ 50% of patients (and is termed _______)
- glomerular destruction
- lupus nephritis
What does lupus nephritis result from? How many patterns are there?
- from the deposition of complement and immunocomplexes in the basement membrane of the glomerulus
- Six patterns are recognized in the currently accepted classification system
5 - 22% percent of SLE patients progress to advanced sclerosing lupus nephritis (class VI) which represents what?
end-stage renal disease and requires hemodialysis or transplantation
What results from massive renal destruction and is a common cause of death in SLE patients.
Nephrotic syndrome
_______ is the most common form of lupus nephritis
Diffuse lupus nephritis (class IV)
Accelerated atherosclerosis with ______ is an important cardiac clinical problem in patients with SLE
coronary artery disease
What cardiac manifestations do women with SLE have a significantly increased risk for?
– myocardial infarction (MI) [8.5 times]
– heart failure [13.2 times]
– stroke [10.1 times] than the general population
T/F Cardiac arrhythmias are common in patients with SLE
True
______ may result from myocarditis and hypertension in patients with SLE
Heart failure
Cardiac _____ abnormalities are found in 25 - 50% of patients who have SLE.
valvular
What does the most common of all cardiac lesions in SLE patients involve? How was it originally described
the endocardium and was originally described (by Libman and Sacks) as verrucous valvular lesions (vegetations)
What are Libman-Sacks (verrucous valvular) vegetations
- Most frequently affect the mitral valve, but may occur on any valve or even on endocardial surfaces
- Represent an increased risk for the development of bacterial endocarditis
The primary hematologic diseases among SLE patients are what?
leukopenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia
_____ in SLE is common and usually reflects lymphopenia but can also be due to immunosuppressive therapies
Leukopenia (WBC < 4,000/mm3)
In SLE, ________ occurs in most patients during periods of disease activity but is also often due to hemodialysis
Anemia of chronic disease
______ anemia occurs in a small proportion of patients with SLE
Coombs-positive (antibodies to RBC’s) hemolytic
What does thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 100,000/mm3) result from in SLE?
increased phagocytosis of autoantibody-coated platelets by spleen, liver, bone marrow and lymph node macrophages and can occur in up to 25% of patients
When are patients with SLE prone to episodic thrombosis (increasing the risk for stroke, deep venous thrombosis, myocardial infarction, and spontaneous abortion)
When antiphospholipid antibodies (i.e., lupus anticoagulant [lupus antibody, lupus inhibitors] and/or anticardiolipin antibody) are present
What do Mucocutaneous Manifestations of SLE include?
-photosensitive rashes
- alopecia
- periungual telangiectasias
- Raynaud’s phenomenon
- skin ulceration secondary to vasculitis
The ______ rash (which affects fewer than half of SLE patients) and the _____ rash are the two most characteristic rashes of SLE
- malar or “butterfly”
- discoid
In SLE, Vasculitic skin lesions include what?
- subcutaneous nodules
- skin ulcers
- infarcts of skin or digits
What are the primary musculoskeletal disorders associated with SLE
Arthritis (with synovitis), arthralgia and myalgia
What is the most common initial manifestation of SLE.
Arthralgia with morning stiffness
More than 75% of SLE patients develop a _____ arthritis (specifically ________ with synovitis), which is symmetrical and non-erosive and which usually involves the hands, wrists, and knees
- true
- inflammatory polyarthritis
Diffuse and focal cerebral dysfunctions of SLE include what
- psychoses, delirium
- seizures
- cerebrovascular accidents (strokes)
- peripheral sensorimotor neuropathies
Oral lesions seen in patients with SLE include what
- mucosal inflammation and ulcerations
- lichenoid-appearing lesions
- angular cheilosis
- mucositis
- glossitis