AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE)

A disease that can damage the joints, skin, kidneys, heart,

lungs, and other parts of the body. Also called SLE or
lupus.
SYMPTOMS:

• Fever
• Weight loss
• Hair loss
• Mouth sores
• Fatigue
• "Butterfly" rash across the nose and cheeks
• Rashes on other parts of the body
• Painful or swollen joints and muscle pain
• Sensitivity to the sun
• Chest pain
• Headache, dizziness, seizure, memory
problems, or change in behavior
Here is the famous "LE cell" test which has value
only in demonstrating how the concept of
autoantibodies work. The pink blobs are
denatured nuclei. Here are two, with one seen
being phagocytozed in the center by a PMN. This
test is not nearly as sensitive as the ANA which
has supplanted the LE cell test.
 SCLERODERMA

A disease causing abnormal growth of connective tissue in

the skin and blood vessels.
SYMPTOMS
• Fingers and toes that turn white, red, or blue in response to
heat and cold
• Pain, stiffness, and swelling of fingers and joints
• Thickening of the skin
• Skin that looks shiny on the hands and forearm
• Tight and mask-like facial skin
• Sores on the fingers or toes
• Trouble swallowing
• Weight loss
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Shortness of breath
 ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS

- is a form of chronic inflammation of the spine and the

sacroiliac joints.
 SJOGREN’S DISEASE

• Dry eyes or eyes that itch

• Dryness of the mouth, which can cause sores
• Trouble swallowing
• Loss of sense of taste
• Severe dental cavities
• Hoarse voice
• Fatigue
• Joint swelling or pain
• Swollen glands
• Cloudy eyes

A disease in which the immune system targets the glands

that make moisture, such as tears and saliva.
 GRAVE’S DISEASE

A disease that causes the thyroid to make too much thyroid hormone
SYMPTOMS
• Insomnia Fine brittle hair
• Irritability • Muscle weakness
• Weight loss • Light menstrual periods
• Heat sensitivity • Bulging eyes
• Sweating • Shaky hands
• Sometimes there are no symptoms
 RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Anemia

A disease in which the immune system attacks the lining of the joints throughout the
body.
SYMPTOMS
• Painful, stiff, swollen, and deformed joints • Eye inflammation
• Fatigue • Lung disease
• Fever • Lumps of tissue under the skin,
• Weight loss often the elbows
• Anemia
 INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS

- causative agent is Epstein Barr virus

- Presence of “Downey cells” (enlarged lymphocytes)
- EBV infection is most common during adolescence and early adulthood

Symptoms:
fever, fatigue, sore throat, swollen lymph glands
 PERNICIOUS ANEMIA

Condition that manifests in individuals (small percent) who have severe chronic
gastritis.

SYMPTOMS
Unnaturally pale, fatigue, breathlessness, lethargy and depression, tingling in the
hands and feet, color blindness involving blue and green and confusion. Patients
with pernicious anemia have an increased incidence of gastric cancer.
 MYASTHENIA GRAVIS
A disease in which the immune system
attacks the nerves and muscles
throughout the body.
SYMPTOMS
• Double vision, trouble keeping a
steady gaze and drooping eyelids
• Trouble swallowing, with frequent
gagging or choking
• Weakness or paralysis
• Muscles that work better after rest
• Drooping head
• Trouble climbing stairs or lifting things
• Trouble talking