Pure red cell aplasia

[Proteus]

Pure red cell aplasia is said to be an autoimmune reaction. How can an autoimmune reaction cause the bone marrow to cease producing red blood cells?

[JillSwift]

Pure red cell aplasia is said to be an autoimmune reaction. How can an autoimmune reaction cause the bone marrow to cease producing red blood cells?

 

By destroying the marrow.

 

Here's a paper on the disease: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120728124/abstract (Free download of the PDF).

[Proteus]

Why doesn't it cause damage elsewhere in the body? Or does it just cause more damage to the bone marrow because there is a higher concentration of white blood cells (since they are produced there)?

 

Er, thanks for the paper, but it's not like I'm going to write a thesis on it or something. I was just looking for some basic facts.

[JillSwift]

Why doesn't it cause damage elsewhere in the body? Or does it just cause more damage to the bone marrow because there is a higher concentration of white blood cells (since they are produced there)?

Antibodies (immunoglobulins) are able to be very specific in the antigens they go after. It's a feature that allows for antibodies to be made that can isolate and destroy bacteria and other invading fauna without damaging the host, just in this case having gone terribly wrong, going after antigens unique to red marrow.

 

Er, thanks for the paper, but it's not like I'm going to write a thesis on it or something. I was just looking for some basic facts.

Sorry. I just found it informative.

Edited October 5, 2009 by JillSwift

[Mr Skeptic]

The same sort of thing as immune mediated type 1 diabetes, where the immune system attacks the islet cells on the pancreas that are responsible for insulin production, resulting in diabetes.