Multiple Organ Failure

Essay 8: Multiple Organ Failure
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Essay 8: Multiple Organ Failure
Patients visiting the emergency department present various illnesses at varying degrees of severity. In the most severe cases, patients may present with multiple organ failure (MOF) (Pedersen et al., 2018). MOF has been associated with poor prognosis and a high mortality rate. The purpose of this paper is to analyze systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease, and how it creates MOF. Specifically, the paper will address the interrelationship of SLE with the renal, pulmonary, and circulatory systems. Further, the paper will examine how an alteration in one of the above systems affects the other two systems and explain how the body compensates for organ failure by relying on another body system to maintain homeostasis.
Description of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
SLE is an autoimmune disease that affects multiple organ systems (Durcan et al., 2019). SLE is the most common type of lupus and occurs as a result of an inflammatory response. It is characterized by the production of chemokines and cytokines, causing an anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory imbalance (Dorner & Furie, 2019). The functionality of the T-cells and B-cells is affected as well. Specifically, T-cells interact with cytokines, and B-cells respond to this interaction by producing antibodies (Tsokos, 2020). The antibodies cause tissue inflammation. Additionally, the production of cytokines and the interaction of lymphocytes with cells cause organ damage. SLE manifests as joint pain, skin rashes, and lupus nephritis. Other manifestations can be in the form of heart and lung issues and hematological manifestations (Dorner & Furie, 2019). As a chronic disease, SLE is characterized by prolonged periods of remission, relapses, and active, worsening symptoms. SLE can lead to end-stage organ failure and an increased risk of mortality (Dorner & Furie, 2019).
According to Durcan et al. (2019), SLE is a hereditary condition and is more prevalent among women and people of color. As such, genetics is considered one of the main causes of SLE. Specifically, certain genetic materials, such as C4 and FCR, have been linked to SLE due to their impact on the immune response (Tsokos, 2020). Also, KLK and APOL1 genes have been linked to SLE in relation to their role in managing organ damage. Other causes include the environment and sex. According to Durcan et al. (2019) and Tsokos (2020), environmental factors, such as environmental pollutants, UV light, viruses, and certain drugs, stimulate TLRs, thus changing the natural immune response of the T and B-cells responses. People exposed to such environmental factors are more likely to develop SLE. As stated earlier, SLE is more common in women, and as such, sex is a risk factor. Specifically, the function of lymphocytes is usually changed by the X chromosome-defined genes and hormones (Tsokos, 2020). Since women carry the X chromosome, they are more predisposed to SLE than men. SLE has a mortality rate of between 2.4 and 5.9%, and about 10% of patients with lupus nephritis end up developing end-stage kidney disease (Durcan et al., 2019). However, earlier diagnosis and management of specific manifestation...