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Autoimmune Disorders

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Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own cells, tissues, and organs. This results from an overactive immune response against substances and tissues normally present in the body. Let's delve into the concept and mechanism of autoimmune diseases from an immune system point of view, explore different causes and examples of such diseases, and discuss potential solutions.
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Author Spotlight: Novel Assay for Studying B-Cell Responses in Multiple Sclerosis Research

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Autoimmune myelopathies.

Eoin P Flanagan¹

¹Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

Handbook of Clinical Neurology

|April 27, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Autoimmune myelopathies are diverse immune-mediated spinal cord diseases. Novel autoantibodies aid classification, guiding cancer detection, treatment, and prognosis for better patient outcomes.

Keywords:

aquaporin-4-IgG autoimmune myelopathy neuromyelitis optica paraneoplastic myelopathy spinal cord sarcoidosis transverse myelitis

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Published on: September 12, 2016

Area of Science:

Neurology
Immunology
Oncology

Background:

Autoimmune myelopathies represent a complex group of immune-mediated spinal cord disorders.
Diagnosis is challenging due to their heterogeneous nature and broad differential diagnosis.
Includes conditions like aquaporin-4-IgG (AQP4-IgG) seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), systemic autoimmune disorders, paraneoplastic, and postinfectious causes.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the classification and diagnostic approaches for autoimmune myelopathies.
To highlight the role of novel neural autoantibodies in diagnosis and management.
To discuss the therapeutic goals of immunotherapy and cancer treatment in these conditions.

Main Methods:

Review of current literature on autoimmune myelopathies.
Emphasis on diagnostic utility of spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings.
Discussion of the significance of identifying neural autoantibodies, such as AQP4-IgG and collapsin response mediator protein-5 (CRMP5)-IgG.

Main Results:

Spine MRI characteristics (lesion location, enhancement patterns) are crucial for differential diagnosis.
Discovery of novel autoantibodies has significantly improved classification and understanding.
Autoantibodies can be pathogenic (e.g., AQP4-IgG) or markers of T-cell responses (e.g., CRMP5-IgG).
Antibody presence aids in guiding cancer screening, treatment choices, and predicting outcomes.

Conclusions:

Accurate classification of autoimmune myelopathies is enhanced by novel autoantibody discoveries.
Management involves targeted immunotherapy to maximize recovery and prevent relapse.
For paraneoplastic myelopathies, prompt cancer detection and treatment are paramount.