Hypersensitivity Flashcards
What is hypersensitivity?
A harmful immunologic reaction developing in response to an otherwise harmless specific trigger
List the 4 types of hypersensitivity
- Type I- Immediate _Al_lergy: IgE mediated
- Type II- Direct antiBody mediated cytolytic
- Type III- Immune Complex mediated
- Type IV- Delayed type T cell mediated
What is the sensitization stage of hypersensitivity?
- Sensitization Stage
- development of the immune response
- symptoms silent
- requires adaptive immunity: antigen specific T and or B cell responses
What is the effector stage of hypersensitivity?
- elicitation of the secondary immuen response
- symptoms evident
What cells mediate Type I hypersensitivity and describe generally how this works?
- Mast cells/basophils mediate the initial phase of anaphylaxis
- Mast=tissue resident, basophils=tissue resident and ciruclating
- IgE crosslinked by antigen trigger mast cell/basophil degranulation which causes the response
Describe the sensitization phase of Type I hypersensitivity
- first exposure: antigen binds to cognate B cell receptors on a naive B cell
- Antigen is processed by APCs (can be B cell) and presented to the cognate CD4 T cell
- the naive CD4 T helper cell matures into a Th2 antigen specific cell
- Th2 produces cytokines supporting B cell class switching to IgE
- B cells and plasma cells produce IgE
- Circulating IgE binds long term onto FCeRI on mast cells and basophils
Describe the Effector phase of Type I hypersensitivity reaction
- second exposure: antigen crosslinks anti-IgE that is already bound to FCeRI on mast cells and basophils
- this triggers rapid extracellular release of preformed mediators (degranulation)
- symptoms of anaphylaxis develop immediately, and hours later delayed symptoms occur
What are the preformed mediators of a type I hypersensitivity reaction?
- histamine and tryptase which can lead to vascular dilation, smooth muscle contraction and tissue damage
- released within seconds to minutes
What are the rapidly produced mediators in a type I reaction and what do they lead to?
- lipid mediators
- Prostaglandins (PGD2)-vascular dilation
- leukotrienes-smooth muscle contraction
- Platelet activating factor (PAF)
What are the slowly produced mediators in a type I reaction?
- cytokines! (hours to days)
- inflammation (leukocyte recruitment)
What is the significance of the early and ate phase of a Type I hypersensitivity reaction?
- the preformed mediators lead to symptoms right away, but some mediators are formed within minutes to days (PGD2, leukotrienes, cytokines) and therefore you can react again to the same stimulus hours later. therefore it is important to goto a hospital for observation after anaphylaxis
What are the physiologic changes associated with anaphylaxis?
- leaky/ dilated blood vessels
- angioedema, low BP, shock
- Smooth muscle spasm
- bronchospasm, GI/GU spasm, coronary spasm
- Cardiac effects:
- myocardial depression
- tachy/bradycardia
What is histamine?
- a preformed mediator of a type I reaction
- short half-life in serum (minutes)
- H1R
- itching, increased vascular permeability: edema
- smooth muscel contraction: bronchospams, cramping
- H2R
- gastric acid secretion
WHat is tryptase?
- preformed mediator in type I hypersensitivity reaction
- only in mast cells not basophils
- immature: constituitively released (protryptase)
- mature: only released during degranulation (b-tryptase)
- found in serum only up to 4 hours after release, therefore it is the single best clinical marker of mast cell activation (bc histamine is too short lived)
- leads to emodleing of tisse matrix
Describe the structure of an eosinophil
Crystalloid granule
matrix
core
what are the chemokines that are rapidly synthesized?
MIP-1a (CCL3) and RANTES (CCL5) and Eoataxin (CCL11)
WHat are the lipid mediators that are rapidly synthesized?
Leukotrienes and Platelet activating factor PAF
What are the major mediators from eosinophils in type I hypersensitivity reactions?
- Lysophospholipase
- Major basic protein: mast cell activation
- Eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) (like MBP)
- EDN (Eosinophil derived neurotoxin)
- Platelet activating factor (PAF)
- bronchoconstriction, activates platelets
What is the role of IL-5? What are some treatments for type I hypersensitivity reactions related to eosinophilia?
- survival/ production of eosinophils!
- it is produced by Th2 CD4 lymphocytes
- when you hve IL-5 it can cause hypereosinophili syndrome
- Anti-IL5 monoclonal antibodies and receptors
What is the therapeutic importance of corticosteroids in type I hypersensititivy reactions?
- corticosteroids inhibit the production of IL-5
- decrease release from marow and cause rapid apoptosis
- steroids make eosinophils disapear!!
What are 3 type I hypersensitivity diseases?
- Allergic Rhinitis
- typical allergies, inhaled
- Drug, Food, Venom Allergies
- anaphylaxis or hives usually from ingestion not air
- Asthma
- cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness
- inhaled aeroallergens
What are some Type I hypersensitivity reactions that are related to disorders of mast cells?
- Utricaria/Angioedema (hives and swelling)
- contact: dog licked hand
- chronic: autoimmune
- Mastocytosis (increases MC burden)
- spontaneous anaphylaxis, osteoporosis, chronis diarrhea
- KIT gene mutation leading to uncontrolled KIT activation thus mast cell proliferation
List the 3 tests to confirm sensitization
- Prick/Scratch
- first line test for confirmation of sensitization
- balances sensitivity.specificity
- Intradermal testing
- 1000x more sensitive than prick/scratch, never used for food
- Serum IgE ELISA
What is the clinical management for allergic rhinitis?
- avoidance
- suppression of mediators
- nasal steroid
- oral antihistamines
- ophthalmis antihistamine/mast cell inhibitors
- nasal antihistamines
- nasal mast cell inhibitors
- Immunotherapy
- SCIT (subQ allergy shots): result in production of IgG4 which outsompetes binding of allergen to IgE
- SLIT (sublingual allergy drops)
Asthma is thought to be what type of hypersensitivity reaction? What is its prevalence, symptoms and mechanism?
Type I hypersensitivity Rxn
- prevalence: 5% of ppl
- Symptoms
- NP cough
- wheezing
- SOB
- chest tightness
- Mechanism:
-
Reversible airway obstruction
- smooth muscle bronchospasm increased mucus production and airway plugging/swelling. increased resistance hard to get air OUT of the lungs.
- Sometimes due to IgE mediated inflammation
-
Reversible airway obstruction
What are the pathologic airway changes associated with asthma?
- Edema
- Mucus
- Epithelial damage
- airway smooth muscle
- inflammatory cell infiltration