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Immune Disease M-Z
topMultiple
sclerosis (abbreviated MS)
also known as disseminated sclerosis or
encephalomyelitis disseminata) is a chronic, inflammatory,
demyelinating
disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). MS can cause a
variety
of symptoms, including changes in sensation, visual problems, muscle
weakness,
depression, difficulties with coordination and speech, severe fatigue,
cognitive impairment, problems with balance, overheating, and pain. MS
will
cause impaired mobility and disability in more severe cases.
Multiple
sclerosis affects neurons, the cells of the
brain and spinal cord that carry information, create thought and
perception,
and allow the brain to control the body. Surrounding many of these
neurons is a
fatty layer known as the myelin sheath, which helps neurons carry
electrical
signals. MS causes gradual destruction of myelin (demyelination) and
transection of neuron axons in patches throughout the brain and spinal
cord.
When the myelin is destroyed, the neurons can no longer effectively
conduct
their electrical signals. The name multiple sclerosis refers to the
multiple
scars (or scleroses) on the myelin sheaths. This scarring causes
symptoms which
vary widely depending upon which signals are interrupted.
The predominant
theory today is that MS results from
attacks by an individual's immune system on the nervous system and it
is
therefore usually categorized as an autoimmune disease. There is a
minority
view that MS is not an autoimmune disease, but rather a metabolically
dependent
neurodegenerative disease. Although much is known about how MS causes
damage, its
exact cause remains unknown.
Multiple
sclerosis may take several different forms,
with new symptoms occurring either in discrete attacks or slowly
accruing over
time. Between attacks, symptoms may resolve completely, but permanent
neurologic problems often persist, especially as the disease advances.
MS
currently does not have a cure, though several treatments are available
that
may slow the appearance of new symptoms.
MS primarily
affects adults, with an age of onset
typically between 20 and 40 years, and is more common in women than in
men.
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Rheumatoid
arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is traditionally considered
a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that causes the immune
system to
attack the joints. It is a disabling and painful inflammatory
condition, which
can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint
destruction. RA
is a systemic disease, often affecting extra-articular tissues
throughout the
body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles.
About 60% of
RA patients are unable to work 10 years after the onset of their
disease.
The name is
derived from the Greek Rheumatos means
"flowing", and this initially gave rise to the term 'rheumatic
fever', an illness that can follow throat infections and which includes
joint
pain. The suffix -oid means "resembling", i.e. resembling rheumatic
fever. Arthr means "joint" and the suffix -itis, a "condition
involving inflammation". Thus rheumatoid arthritis was a form of joint
inflammation that resembled rheumatic fever. Rheumatoid arthritis
appears to
have been described in paintings more than a century before the first
detailed
medical description of the condition in 1800 by Landre-Beauvais.
Features Back
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Articular
(joints)
Rheumatoid
arthritis and osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid
arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory,
multisystem autoimmune disorder. It is commonly polyarticular; that is,
it
affects many joints. Inflammation, soft tissue swelling, and the
involvement of
multiple joints are common signs and symptoms that distinguish
rheumatoid and
other inflammatory arthritis from non-inflammatory arthritis such as
osteoarthritis. The joints are usually affected initially
asymmetrically and
then in a symmetrical fashion as the disease progresses. The pain
generally
improves with use of the affected joints, and there is usually
stiffness of all
joints in the morning that lasts over one hour. Thus, the pain of
rheumatoid
arthritis is usually worse in the morning compared to the classic pain
of
osteoarthritis where the pain worsens over the day as the joints are
used
Extra-articular
manifestations also distinguish
rheumatoid arthritis from osteoarthritis (hence it is a multisystemic
disease).
For example, most RA patients also suffer with anemia, either as a
consequence
of the disease itself (anaemia of chronic disease) or as a consequence
of
gastrointestinal bleeding as a side effect of drugs used in treatment,
especially NSAIDs used for analgesia. Hepatosplenomegaly may occur with
concurrent leukopenia (Felty's syndrome), and lymphocytic infiltration
may
affect the salivary and lacrimal glands (Sjögren's syndrome).
Pericarditis,
pleurisy, alveolitis, scleritis, and subcutaneous nodules are other
features.
Deformities
As the pathology progresses the inflammatory activity
leads to erosion and destruction of the joint surface, which impairs
their
range of movement and leads to deformity. The fingers are typically
deviated
towards the little finger (ulnar deviation) and can assume unnatural
shapes.
Classical deformities in rheumatoid arthritis are the Boutonniere
deformity
(Hyperflexion at the proximal interphalangeal joint with hyperextension
at the
distal interphalangeal joint), swan neck deformity (Hyperextension at
the
proximal interphalangeal joint, hyperflexion at the distal
interphalangeal
joint). The thumb may develop a "Z-Thumb" deformity with fixed
flexion and subluxation at the metacarpophalangeal joint, and
hyperextension at
the IP joint.
Sarcoidosis,
also called sarcoid (from the greek 'sark' and 'oid'
meaning "flesh-like") or Besnier-Boeck disease, is an immune system
disorder characterised by non-caseating granulomas (small inflammatory
nodules)
that most commonly arises in young adults. The cause of the disease is
still
unknown. Virtually any organ can be affected; however, granulomas most
often
appear in the lungs (D86.0) or the lymph nodes (D86.1). Symptoms can
occasionally appear suddenly but usually appear gradually. The clinical
course
varies and ranges from asymptomatic disease that resolves spontaneously
to a debilitating
chronic condition that may lead to death.
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Sepsis
is a serious medical condition characterized by a
whole-body inflammatory state caused by infection. Traditionally the
term
sepsis has been used interchangeably with septicaemia and septicemia
("blood
poisoning").However, these terms are no longer considered synonymous;
septicemia is considered a subset of sepsis.
Systemic lupus
erythematosus
(SLE or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is
sometimes fatal as the immune system attacks the body’s cells and
tissue,
resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. SLE can affect any part of
the
body, but most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood
vessels,
liver, kidneys and nervous system. The course of the disease is
unpredictable, with
periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remission. Lupus
can occur
at any age, and is most common in women, particularly of non-European
descent.[1] Lupus is treatable symptomatically, mainly with
corticosteroids and
immunosuppressants, though there is currently no cure. Back
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Uveitis
Uveitis specifically refers to inflammation of the
middle layer of the eye, termed the
"uvea" but in common usage may refer to any inflammatory process
involving the interior of the eye.
Uveitis is
estimated to be responsible for
approximately 10% of the blindness in the United States.[citation
needed]
Uveitis requires an urgent referral and thorough examination by an
ophthalmologist, along with urgent treatment to control the
inflammation.
Types
Uveitis is usually categorized anatomically into
anterior, intermediate, posterior and panuveitic forms.
Anywhere from two-thirds to 90% of uveitis cases are
anterior in location (anterior uveitis), frequently termed iritis - or
inflammation of the iris and anterior chamber. This condition can occur
as a
single episode and subside with proper treatment or may take on a
recurrent or
chronic nature. Symptoms include red eye, injected conjunctiva, pain
and
decreased vision. Signs include dilated ciliary vessels, presence of
cells and
flare in the anterior chamber, and keratic precipitates ("KP") on the
posterior surface of the cornea.
Intermediate uveitis consists of vitritis -
inflammatory cells in the vitreous cavity, sometimes with snowbanking,
or
deposition of inflammatory material on the pars plana.
Posterior uveitis is the inflammation of the retina
and choroid.
Pan-uveitis is the inflammation of all the layers of
the uvea.
Causes
A myriad of conditions can lead to the development of
uveitis, including systemic diseases as well as syndromes confined to
the eye.
In anterior uveitis, no specific diagnosis is made in approximately
one-half of
cases. However, anterior uveitis is often one of the syndromes
associated with HLA-B27. Back
to topVasculitis (plural:
vasculitides),
a group of
diseases featuring inflammation of the wall
of blood vessels including veins (phlebitis), arteries (arteritis) and
capillaries due to leukocyte migration and resultant damage. While most
vasculitides are rare, they generally affect several organ systems and
can
cause severe disability.
Wiskott-Aldrich
syndrome
(WAS) is a rare
X-linked recessive disease
characterized by eczema, thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts), immune
deficiency, and bloody diarrhea (due to the low platelet counts). It is
also
sometimes called the eczema-thrombocytopenia-immunodeficiency syndrome
in
keeping with Aldrich's original description in 1954.
Citation
Wikipedia
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