ROSING CHOLANGITIS, two conditions that damage
the LIVER. Normally antimitochondrial antibodies
are not present.
See also ANTIGEN; CELL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION;
IMMUNE RESPONSE.
antiphospholipid antibodies Autoantibodies the
IMMUNE SYSTEMproduces that attack phospholipids,
fatty substances in the cell membranes of BLOOD
cells and connective tissue cells. Antiphospholipid
antibodies interfere with blood clotting (COAGULA-
TION) and are present in a number of AUTOIMMUNE
DISORDERS that affect connective tissue, such as
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS(affecting the joints) and VA S-
CULITIS(affecting the blood vessels). Antiphospho-
lipid antibodies are also present in SYSTEMIC LUPUS
ERYTHEMATOSUS(SLE).
Several blood tests can detect and measure the
level of antiphospholipid antibodies, reported as a
titer. Antiphospholipid antibodies are not nor-
mally present. Positive findings when there are no
other autoimmune conditions may indicate a
diagnosis of primary antiphospholipid syndrome.
The primary effect of antiphospholipid antibodies
is increased blood clotting, resulting in conditions
such as DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS (DVT), TRANSIENT
ISCHEMIC ATTACK(TIA), repeated miscarriage in PREG-
NANCY, HEART ATTACK, andSTROKE.
See also ANTIBODY; ANTIGEN; ANTIMITOCHONDRIAL
ANTIBODIES.
atopy A genetically predisposed HYPERSENSITIVITY
REACTION. Atopy is typically chronic. The most
common forms of atopy are
- atopic ASTHMA, which affects the airways
(bronchi) - atopic DERMATITIS, which affects the SKIN
- atopic rhinitis, which affects the nasal passages
(nose) - atopic CONJUNCTIVITIS, which affects the mem-
branes that line the eyelids (conjunctiva) and
the sclera (white) of the EYE
The symptoms of atopic conditions are the clas-
sic symptoms of ALLERGY, though tend to appear at
the slightest exposure to allergens and linger for
an extended time. Atopy is a type I or
IMMUNOGLOBULINE (IgE) hypersensitivity reaction
that occurs fairly immediately after exposure to
the ALLERGEN. Treatments for atopic conditions tar-
get the IMMUNE RESPONSEas well as symptom relief
and may include oral and topical ANTIHISTAMINE
MEDICATIONS and CORTICOSTEROID MEDICATIONS.
Avoiding known or suspected allergens signifi-
cantly reduces the severity of an atopic attack.
See also ALLERGIC ASTHMA; ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVI-
TIS; ALLERGIC DERMATITIS; ALLERGIC RHINITIS; BRONCHUS;
GENETIC PREDISPOSITION; LIVING WITH ALLERGIES.autoimmune disorders Health conditions in
which the body’s IMMUNE RESPONSEloses the ability
to identify certain self cells and attacks them.
Autoimmune disorders may produce symptoms
that are localized (affect a clearly defined part of
the body), systemic (affect a body system), or gen-
eralized (affect the body as a whole or across sev-
eral systems). Though researchers do not know
what causes the immune response to lose toler-
ance for certain antigens, causing it to identify self
cells as nonself cells, they do know that a person
who has one autoimmune disorder is at risk for
developing others.AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS
autoimmune HEPATITIS BULLOUS PEMPHIGOID
dermatomyositis DIABETES(type 1)
DISCOID LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS(DLE)GOODPASTURE’S SYNDROME
GRAVES’S DISEASE Hashimoto’sTHYROIDITIS
INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE(IBD) MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
MYASTHENIA GRAVIS PEMPHIGUS
pernicious ANEMIA POLYMYOSITIS
REITER’S SYNDROME RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
scleroderma SJÖGREN’S SYNDROME
SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS(SLE) VASCULITISOver time the immune attacks permanently
damage or destroy tissue. Autoimmune disorders
are chronic; though treatment may control symp-
toms, it does not cure the disorder. Symptoms and
outlook vary with the autoimmune disorder.
Some autoimmune disorders, such as type 1 DIA-
BETES and GRAVES’S DISEASE, are life threatening
without treatment. Treatment is generally
IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE THERAPYwith IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE
MEDICATIONS that block certain aspects of the
immune response. Further treatment may be nec-
essary to counter the damage the autoimmuneautoimmune disorders 249