Learning Path
Question & Answer1
Understand Question2
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Explore TopicChoose the Best Answer
A
The immune system misidentifies the body's own cells as foreign invaders due to a failure in self-tolerance.
B
The immune system is overly active and attacks anything that moves, including healthy cells.
C
The immune system is weak and cannot differentiate between pathogens and body cells.
D
The autoimmune disease is caused solely by genetic factors without any influence from the environment.
Understanding the Answer
Let's break down why this is correct
Answer
The immune system normally learns to ignore the body’s own cells during development in the thymus and bone marrow, a process called self‑tolerance. When this tolerance fails—because of genetic defects, infections that trigger molecular mimicry, or other triggers—autoreactive T or B cells escape deletion and begin to recognize joint proteins as foreign. These cells then produce inflammatory cytokines and antibodies that attack cartilage and synovial tissue, causing pain and swelling. For example, a person might develop a rheumatoid factor that binds to IgG in the joint, leading to chronic inflammation. Thus, the disease is driven by a loss of self‑tolerance and the resulting autoimmune attack.
Detailed Explanation
The immune system normally learns to ignore its own cells, a skill called self‑tolerance. Other options are incorrect because Some people think the immune system attacks everything that moves, but it actually targets specific signals; A weak immune system is not the reason for mistaken attacks.
Key Concepts
Autoimmune Diseases
Immune System Regulation
Self-Tolerance
Topic
Autoimmune Diseases
Difficulty
medium level question
Cognitive Level
understand
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