Essay on Causes Of Goodpasture Syndrome

Submitted By Daniel-Yoon
Words: 326
Pages: 2

Causes of Goodpasture syndrome

Goodpasture syndrome is a very rare autoimmune disorder. This syndrome occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy tissues in the body. The body attacks either the lungs or the kidneys, but not both. People who have goodpasture syndrome develop substances known as anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies. These substances attack a protein in the body called collagen. Collagen is in the air sacs (alveoli) in our lungs and it is also in filtering units of the kidneys called glomeruli. The glomerular basement membrane that is part of the kidney helps filter the bodies waste and any extra fluid from the blood. However, these anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies prevent the kidneys to filter out the waste, which leads to kidney damage. However, sometimes this syndrome can also be triggered by a viral respiratory infection or by breathing in hydrocarbon solvents. Hydrocarbon solvents are used in cleaning products for oils and grease. They are high in toxicity. In these cases, the immune system can attack organs and tissues because it is mistaking them as foreign chemicals or a virus. Due to the faulty response from the immune system, this will cause bleeding in the alveoli or the air sacs of the lungs and will also cause inflammation in the kidney’s filtering units. Men are eight times more likely to develop this disorder than women and it is most common in the early adulthood between the ages of 20 to 30. This