Question

Match the autoimmune disease with the part of the body attacked by the immune cells.

• A. Myelin sheath
• B. Joints
• C. Pancreatic cells
• D. Muscle contractions

Answer 1

Autoimmunity refers to the body’s development of intolerance to the antigens on its own cells i.e., there is an immune response to one’s own tissue antigens. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the person's immune system attacks the membrane lining the joints. This results in inflammation and thickening of the joint. In type I diabetes, the immune system destroys insulin producing pancreatic cells resulting in little or no insulin production by the body. In multiple sclerosis, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibres and causes communication problems between brain and the spinal cord. Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body.