Which autoimmune disorder is characterized by the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy tissue?

Which autoimmune disorder is characterized by the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy tissue?

• A. Rheumatoid arthritis
• B. Lupus
• C. Sjogren's syndrome
• D. Scleroderma

Answer: (B)

Autoimmune disorders involve the immune system mistakenly attacking the body's own tissues. Among these options, lupus is the classic systemic autoimmune disease driven by autoantibodies against nuclear components that form immune complexes and injure multiple organs. This leads to a broad range of manifestations, such as skin changes (photosensitive rash), arthritis, kidney inflammation, and blood abnormalities, illustrating widespread tissue damage from an immune attack. The other conditions are autoimmune as well but tend to affect specific tissues more selectively—rheumatoid arthritis mainly targets joints, Sjogren's disrupts exocrine glands causing dry eyes and mouth, and scleroderma is characterized by widespread fibrosis of the skin and sometimes organs. Thus, lupus best exemplifies the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy tissue across multiple systems.

Autoimmune disorders involve the immune system mistakenly attacking the body's own tissues. Among these options, lupus is the classic systemic autoimmune disease driven by autoantibodies against nuclear components that form immune complexes and injure multiple organs. This leads to a broad range of manifestations, such as skin changes (photosensitive rash), arthritis, kidney inflammation, and blood abnormalities, illustrating widespread tissue damage from an immune attack. The other conditions are autoimmune as well but tend to affect specific tissues more selectively—rheumatoid arthritis mainly targets joints, Sjogren's disrupts exocrine glands causing dry eyes and mouth, and scleroderma is characterized by widespread fibrosis of the skin and sometimes organs. Thus, lupus best exemplifies the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy tissue across multiple systems.