Foreign cells in polymyositis: could stem cell transplantation and pregnancy-derived chimerism lead to the same disease?
A growing number of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation centers have reported that patients with chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD) can develop polymyositis (PM). GVHD-PM is similar to idiopathic PM in signs, symptoms, laboratory values, electromyography, radiography, and histology, suggesting that the two conditions may share a similar mechanism in pathogenesis. In chronic GVHD-PM, interactions between allogeneic donor cells and host cells lead to chronic inflammation. In idiopathic PM, the foreign cells could be partially human leukocyte antigen-matched maternal or fetal cells acquired during pregnancy. Thus, PM can be added to the list of potentially allo-autoimmune diseases in which pregnancy-derived microchimerism may play a role.
Stevens
Anne M
AM
Immunogenetics Department, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, PO Box 19024, D2-100, 1100 Fairview Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. astevens@fhcrc.org
D002465:Cell Movement; D002678:Chimera / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D006648:Histocompatibility / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000276:immunology; D017285:Polymyositis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018183:Transplantation Chimera / Q000276:immunology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000009:adverse effects