$Unique_ID{BRK01130}
$Pretitle{Blood and Blood Forming Organs}
$Title{What Causes an "Autoimmune" Disease to Happen?}
$Subject{autoimmune disease}
$Volume{D}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


What Causes an "Autoimmune" Disease to Happen?


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QUESTION:  Although I think I understand what the body does to protect itself
against harmful bacteria that cause infections, I don't understand the cause
of something called an "autoimmune" disease.  Yet I read everyday of more
illness blamed on this process.  Can you explain what it is and what causes it
to happen?

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ANSWER:  I can probably handle "what it is" a bit better than what causes it
to happen.  And I would be at a complete loss in trying to identify methods to
treat the problem directly.  The immune process is a complicated one, with
several types of cells playing important roles in the process.  There are two
important lymphocytes, T cells (for thymus) and B cells (for blood) that are
at the core of the action.  The T cell is like a quarterback that interprets
the enemy's composition and signals other cells to get into action.  B cells
eliminate any enemies that exist outside of cells, such as viral organisms
which may have multiplied inside a normal cell, broken out and are now on the
prowl for new healthy cell victims.  B cells recognize these enemies with the
help of antibodies, molecules that form part of the surface of the B cell.  T
cells along with "helper" T cells and "suppressor" T cells direct the action,
getting cells known as phagocytes (neutrophils and macrophages) to attack the
enemy and literally eat them up.  All of this works quite well normally, but
sometimes the system goes out of whack, and these cells begin to attack cells
within our body that are part of our normal systems.  For some reason they
have been identified as "foreign" by the immune system, and all of the forces
normally directed to ridding the body of invaders are directed against natural
portions of our own constitution.  Such parts may be joints, as in juvenile
rheumatoid arthritis, or organs; the kidneys or lungs which become victims in
systemic lupus erythmatosus.  In multiple sclerosis it is the brain and spinal
cord, and in juvenile diabetes the pancreas is affected.  Thus the protective
system works against its own body or "autoimmune", as if we were allergic to
ourselves.  The only treatments now available attempt to reduce the process of
inflammation, or attempt to reduce symptoms.  Though we still don't know
enough, this is a field of medicine that has made enormous strides recently, a
science that was mostly unknown when I attended medical school.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
