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Definition: autoimmune diseases from The Penguin Dictionary of Science

Disorders of the ➤immune system that result in the inability to differentiate between ‘self’ and ‘non-self’ antigens, leading to the production of an auto-antibody (an ➤antibody against oneself). Such diseases include Hashimoto's disease of the thyroid, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

Autoimmune Diseases (General)

From Encyclopedia of Global Health
Autoimmune disease (AD) is a condition where the human body’s immune system reacts against its own tissues. This process occurs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type 1 diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Crohn’s disease, and many other debilitating ailments. Worldwide, autoimmune diseases account for much suffering and morbidity. Many estimates indicate that between 20 to 50 percent of the world’s population suffer from some variant of AD. There are too many autoimmune diseases to list here, so a few will be used for illustration. There is a worldwide distribution of autoimmune conditions and many of the causes and treatments are still unknown. No region, country, race, or gender is invulnerable to AD and the burden of disease falls on all social and economic classes. Although some relationships have been drawn between viral infections, gender, geographic locations, and even diet or occupational exposures, much remains to be seen and understood in the fight against ADs and what…
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Full text Article Autoimmune Diseases

From Brenner's Encyclopedia of Genetics
Autoimmune Diseases
Abstract Autoimmune diseases develop when defects in the immune system cause an immune response to self-tissue. They are complex genetic traits caused by a combination of genes and environment. The region conferring the largest genetic risk effect for autoimmune diseases is the human leukocyte…
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Full text Article Autoimmune Disorders

From Encyclopedia of Women's Health
The immune system is a highly complex system of cells and chemical reactions that fights off infection and protects the body from germs. When germs invade the body, the immune system detects proteins on the surface of the germs and then gears up to remove the foreign invasion. In general the system…
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Full text Article Autoimmune Disorders

From New Harvard Guide to Women's Health, The
Autoimmune disorders occur when the body produces antibodies or lymphocytes (T cells) that attack its own tissues. Although everyone has a certain number of these “autoantibodies,” the numbers are usually too small to cause concern. When these autoantibodies proliferate, internal organ damage can…
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Full text Article eye involvement in autoimmune disease

From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Autoimmune Diseases
A number of autoimmune diseases exist in which the eyes or various parts of the eyes may be attacked by white blood cells. Often the autoimmune disease is systemic, with a variety of organs throughout the body system being attacked. Examples of such diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic…
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Full text Article Asbestos Exposure and Autoimmune Disease

From Encyclopedia of Environmental Health
Scanning electron micrograph of amphibole...
Autoimmune disease results from the body producing an inappropriate immune response against its own tissue or individual tissue components. Such conditions can result in severe and chronic morbidity and can be an important cause of mortality. Little is known about the causes of systemic autoimmune…
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Full text Article autoimmune disease

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Any disease caused by an immune response ( see immunity ) against antigens in the tissues of one’s own body. The immune system has two known ways to prevent such a response: destruction of lymphocyte s in the thymus before they leave to attack one’s own tissues and loss of ability to react to their…
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Full text Article Autoimmune Disease Tests

From Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Autoimmune disease tests are screening procedures used in the diagnosis of immune system disorders and other disease states to detect autoantibodies, which are antibodies produced against the body's own tissues. Hundreds of different autoantibodies have been described, not all of which are involved…
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Full text Article Autoimmune Disease Tests

From The Gale Encyclopedia of Senior Health
Autoimmune disease tests are screening procedures used in the diagnosis of immune system disorders and other disease states to detect autoantibodies, which are antibodies produced against the body's own tissues. Hundreds of different autoantibodies have been described, not all of which are involved…
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Full text Article autoimmune disease

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
any of a number of abnormal conditions caused when the body produces antibodies to its own substances. In rheumatoid arthritis , a group of antibody molecules called collectively RF, or rheumatoid factor, is complexed to the individual's own gamma globulin blood proteins; the circulating complex…
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Full text Article pain and autoimmune disease

From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Autoimmune Diseases
In general, there are two kinds of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert you to possible injury and the need to take care of yourself. Chronic pain is different. It persists. Pain signals keep firing in the nervous system for weeks, …
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