Endocrine Autoimmunity

Question 1

Autoimmune disease

Answer 1

Autoimmune disease involves an immune response or attack against a host organ

Question 2

Endocrine autoimmunity (3)

Answer 2

• Many endocrine organs are sensitive to autoimmune attack – attack by the host immune system
• This would include the adrenals, gonads, pancreas, pituitary and thyroid
• Thus the establishment and maintenance of immunologic tolerance to “self” is a key feature of a healthy immune system

Question 3

The environmental factors thought to have greatest influence on autoimmune development are:

Answer 3

1) infectious agents 2) diet 3) toxins

Question 4

Autoimmune adrenal failure (3)

Answer 4

• autoimmune Addison’s disease develops as an attack by the immune system on the adrenal cortex
• now using sensitive assays based on the immune detection of 21 alpha hydroxylases, studies have reported positive tests for 72% of sera from patients with Addison’s disease
• in certain types of Addison’s disease 21a-hydroxylase antibodies appear to be predictive in children and adults

Question 5

circadian rhythms of cortisol lower which cells during the day time while they rise at night

Answer 5

T cells

Question 6

what does cortisol controls the levels of

Answer 6

lymphocytes by inducing their apoptosis

Question 7

The relationship of the circadian rhythm of cortisol to T cell number

Answer 7

significant negative cross correlations between cortisol on the one hand and different lymphocyte subsets on the other are seen, with a large period for the lymphocytes of 2 hours