Question

A patient has just been informed that they have an autoimmune disease that attacks the salivary glands. How would you explain to the patient what is happening inside their body?

a) The immune system is attacking the cells of the salivary glands.
b) The salivary glands are producing excessive saliva.
c) The patient has a viral infection affecting the salivary glands.
d) The salivary glands are not functioning properly due to dehydration.

Answer 1

The patient's immune system is mistakenly attacking their own salivary gland cells, leading to dysfunction and symptoms such as dry mouth.

Step-by-step explanation:

A patient has been informed that they have an autoimmune disease that attacks the salivary glands. This means that the patient's own immune system is producing antibodies against the proteins present in their salivary glands. This autoimmune reaction leads to destruction and loss of functionality in the salivary glands. Unlike a condition such as mumps, which is caused by a viral infection, in autoimmune diseases, the body mistakenly identifies its own cells as threats and begins to attack them.

Normally, the immune system protects the body from harmful pathogens, but in this case, it erroneously targets the cells lining the salivary glands, leading them to break down and become non-functional. The patient may experience dry mouth and other symptoms related to impaired salivary gland function.