Immunological Diseases

Question 1

What is self immune tolerance?

Answer 1

lack of an immune response to self antigens

Question 2

How do self tolerance mechanisms prevent autoimmune diseases?

Answer 2

either kill autoreactive lymphocytes through deletion, or prevent them from responding to self-antigens (anergy or suppression)

Question 3

What is involved in all autoimmune diseases?

Answer 3

loss of T cell self tolerance, strong inflammatory component, dysregulation of cytokine production

Question 4

What two categories do autoimmune diseases cluster into?

Answer 4

tissue/organ specific or systemic (all over)

Question 5

At what age do autoimmune diseases arise?

Answer 5

20-45 years old

Question 6

How are autoimmune diseases classified?

Answer 6

based on the main acquired effector mechanism causing damage, same as hypersensitivities except NO Type I autoimmune disease

Question 7

What types of autoimmune disease involve the loss of self tolerance in B cells?

Answer 7

Type II and III

Question 8

What are the environmental risk factors for autoimmune disease development?

Answer 8

life style, drugs, chemical & biological toxins, physical trauma (release sequestered self protein antigens), infections (crossreactive agents)

Question 9

What is molecular mimicry?

Answer 9

when a non-self antigen elicits a response to self antigen causing disease

Question 10

What are the endocrine risk factors for autoimmune disease development?

Answer 10

prolonged elevated levels of stress hormones, more females get certain diseases due to estrogen

Question 11

What are the genetic risk factors for autoimmune disease development?

Answer 11

genetic predisposition, single gene causing disease is the exception (multiple genes are the norm), MHC genes account for 50% of genetic component of these diseases

Question 12

What alleles significantly increase one’s risk for autoimmune disease onset?

Answer 12

MHC alleles, especially MHC class II

Question 13

What’s the difference between primary and secondary immunodeficient diseases?

Answer 13

primary: caused by inherited gene mutations
secondary: caused by environmental factors

Question 14

What are the general features of immunodeficiency diseases?

Answer 14

main symptom is recurrent unusual infections (type indicates immune defect), more likely to get certain cancers, may be accompanied with autoimmune pathology

Question 15

What are the general features of INHERITED immunodeficiency diseases?

Answer 15

infant onset, recessive inheritance, commonly a single gene mutation, commonly X-linked genes

Question 16

What are the environmental factors causing secondary immunodeficiency diseases?

Answer 16

infections, cytotoxic/immunosuppressive therapies, malnutrition, many are irreversible

Question 17

What occurs with B cell immunodeficient defects?

Answer 17

impaired humoral immunity, persistent bacterial infections

Question 18

What occurs with T cell immunodeficient defects?

Answer 18

impaired humoral & cell-mediated immunity, susceptible to all types of infections

Question 19

What occurs when both B cells and T cells are defective?

Answer 19

Severe combined immunodeficiency Diseases (SCID) most severe

Question 20

What occurs with phagocyte immunodeficient defects?

Answer 20

poor cell adhesion or killing mechanisms, chronic bacterial and fungal infections, may result in chronic macrophage activation due to persistent infection

Question 21

What occurs with immunodeficient complement deficiencies C1-C4?

Answer 21

recurring bacterial deficiencies, C1-C4 result in autoimmune-like Type III disease

Question 22

What occurs with immunodeficient complement deficiencies DAF or CD59?

Answer 22

DAF or CD59 deficiencies cause autoimmune-like Type II-like hemolytic anemia

Question 23

What occurs with immunodeficient complement deficiencies C1 inhibitor?

Answer 23

dysregulated inflammation