Autoimmunity description

Occupational exposure to silica dust has been identified as a risk factor for several systemic autoimmune diseases. This literature dates back almost 100 years, to the description by Bramwell of diffuse scleroderma in stone masons.26 Rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma in miners were described in the 1950s, and more formal cohort studies of miners and of granite workers were conducted in the 1980s. Other studies focusing on silicosis patients, and several case-control studies of these diseases and of Wegner... 

Swedo, S.E., Leonard, H.L., Garvey, M., Mittleman, B., Allen, A.J., Perlmutter, S., Lougee, L., Dow, S., Zamkoff, J., and Dubbert, B.K. (1998) Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections clinical description of the first 50 cases. Am Psychiatry 155 264-271. 

B.K. (1998) Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections clinical description of the first 50 cases. Am J Psychiatry 155 264-271. 

Membrane plasmapheresis is also the first step for treatment of pathological plasma in the case of autoimmune diseases, as the patient retains his own red blood cells while his plasma is replaced by an albumin solution or fresh frozen plasma obtained from donors (plasma exchange therapy). Other more selective plasma purification techniques consist in eliminating pathologic immunoglobulins or LDL cholesterol familial hypercholesterolemia, either by a secondary filtration, chemical adsorption or immunoadsorption. A description of various applications of plasmapheresis can be found in the book edited by Smit Sibinga and Rater [15]. 

Aldesleukin sometimes causes acute exacerbation of latent autoimmune disease, as has been further exemplified by the following description, which also included the first report of aldesleukin-induced myasthenia gravis (116). 

Immune responses can be directed toward a new nonself antigen that has become nonspecifically absorbed to a cell membrane. This mechanism is essentially the description of the sensitizing potential of a hapten and is one of the reasons why there is some overlap between hypersensitivity reactions and autoimmune conditions. 

The focus of this chapter is on those diseases that are generally accepted to be autoimmune diseases, but descriptive information about some of the other common, potential autoimmune diseases is also included. Diseases that are only recently postulated to be autoimmune (e.g. atherosclerosis) will be mentioned only briefly at the end of this chapter. The respective autoimmune diseases will be discussed in alphabetical order. The topics discussed include... 

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies against a host of nuclear antigens. Lupus, the Latin word for wolf, has been used for at least seven centuries to describe the malar rash that some think resembles an animal bite. The disease was recogifized initially as a skin disease. Hebra and Kaposi were the first to report systemic involvement of the disease. Their work published in 1874 described the association of lupus with anemia, lung involvement, mental status changes, and death. In three papers published between 1895 and 1903, Sir William Osier described the systematic involvement of lupus, the first detailed description recogifizing the multiple systems affected by the disease. 

In hemolytic anemia, the life span of the red cell is considerably reduced. Anemia in the newborn usually results from either the presence of an abnormal hemoglobin or the development of an autoimmune process. In the adult, hemolytic anemia may be the consequence of drug administration or be caused by an autoimmune reaction. A classification of hemolytic anemia has been presented, and a detailed description of the primary injury appears in several other chapters. 

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