module 09 section 02 (autoimmune disease) Flashcards
autoimmune diseases are the result of?
overreactivity of the immune system against its own tissues
does the presence of anti-self antibodies or anti-self cell-mediated immunity always develop into an autoimmune disease?
not necessarily
are autoimmune diseases organ-specific or systemic?
can be either
autoimmune diseases affect what % of the population?
5-7%
autoimmune diseases have been linked to what? why?
certain MHC haplotypes - as they may fail to delete anti-self T-cells or B-cells
why is it important to always consider autoimmune disease when diagnosing?
- becuase there’s a wide range of non-specific symptoms
- they dont always present the same
- they’re shared between many other conditions
- they effect a lot of different body systems
- usually consider infectious/hemolytic conditions before autoimmunity
- e.g. lupus = fatigue, rash, arthritis
- why ask about family history - allergies/celiac can be indicators
recall: what is central tolerance?
mechanism by which the immune system learns to discriminate self vs non-self antigens
(lymphocytes with receptors to self-antigens are removed by apoptosis)
what provides the incentive for microorganisms to develop epitopes similar to proteins found within the host?
clonal deletion (how self-antigens are deleted - if resemble self - wont be attacked)
what is peripheral tolerance?
mechanism by which the body prevents over-reactivity of the immune system to various environmental factors
(e.g. allergens, gut microbes)
defects in central or peripheral tolerance may lead to what? why?
autoimmune diseases, as lymphocytes specific to seld antigen or some environmental factors remain in circulation
MHC class II presentation of self or forgein peptides can result in?
immunological tolerance
why have some HLA genes been associated with autoimmune diseases?
because of the role of MHC in antigen presentation
what does it mean for someone who has these specific HLA genes?
they have an increased relative risk for autoimmune disease
what is relative risk? how do you calculate it?
ratio of the probability of an event occuring with a specific MHC, compared to without the specific MHC
RR = (frequency of disease in patients with HLA) / (frequency of disease in patients without HLA)
how can the inheritance of AI diseases be determined clinically?
by HLA-typing (because some have been associated with specific HLA genes)
can HLA-typing for AI diseases be a factor in genetic counseilling/family planning?
yes
what specific HLA haplotype expression is 100x more likely to result in insulin-dependent diabetes (type I)?
DR3/DQW8
RR=100 for HLA DR3/DQW8
what specific HLA haplotype expression is 90x more likely to result in ankylosing spondylitis?
B27
RR=90 for HLA B27
do anti-self T-cells/B-cells in circulation need to be triggered to become activated?
yes
what are the 3 major mechanisms of triggering anti-self cells that result in autoimmune disease?
(1) molecular mimicry
(2) release of sequestered antigen
(3) polyclonal B-cell activation
what is molecular mimicry
- foreign antigens can have epitopes similar to those of self antigens
- so, an immune response for a foreign antigen may also result in the cross-activation of anti-self B/T-cells against self tissues with similar epitopes
- I.e. since the foreign antigen has similar (mimics) epitopes to the self-antigen, the immune response attacks both
streptococcus bacteria display similar epitopes to those expressed in the ______?
what is the result of this?
heart muscle - resulting in rheumatic carditis due to infection with the bacteria
what is rheumatic carditis characterized by? why?
cardiac inflammation and scarring
-result of cross reactivitiy of antibodies due to molecular mimicry of the strep antigen to the heart muscle antigens