Articles related to AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS

This recent study suggests that thymectomy may have significant implications for patients’ overall health, with an observed increase in mortality and cancer risk. As physicians, it’s crucial to consider these findings in your surgical practices and patient care strategies.

Explore the intriguing connections between postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and autoimmune disorders. This comprehensive review offers insights into diagnosis, potential autoimmune mechanisms, and future directions in the field, providing valuable information for practitioners dealing with this complex condition.

Despite striking parallels in symptomatology between POTS and autoimmune disorders, a deeper scrutiny reveals that this overlap may not be sufficient to definitively attribute an autoimmune cause to POTS; hence, indiscriminate application of immunosuppressive therapies should be re-evaluated.

Researchers discovered that inhibiting the activity of the fumarate hydratase enzyme in macrophages (a type of immune cell that plays a key role in inflammatory disorders) increased the cells’ production of interferon-beta. They also discovered that lupus patients’ macrophages have abnormally low levels of fumarate hydratase. These findings suggest that dysregulation of this enzyme may be a factor in the development of lupus, and that fumarate hydratase could be a potential therapeutic target.

Multiple studies’ pooled data revealed a significantly increased risk of Parkinson’s when combined with bullous pemphigoid, a rare skin condition, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or Sjögren’s syndrome. Immune response impairment has been linked to Parkinson’s disease in a growing body of evidence. Indeed, some studies have suggested that the neurodegenerative disease may be exacerbated by autoimmune processes, which occur when the immune system incorrectly attacks and destroys healthy tissue.

A 5-year-old boy from China who had IgA vasculitis at age 2 presented with progressively painful skin ulcerations on his extremities for the past month. Find the reason behind the skin lesions on this young boy by answering the image challenge.