autoimmune disease

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. a disease resulting from a disordered immune reaction in which antibodies are produced against one's own tissues, as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis.

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autoimmune disease Scientific  

/ ô′tō-ĭ-myo̅o̅n′ /

1. A disease in which impaired function and the destruction of tissue are caused by an immune reaction in which abnormal antibodies are produced and attack the body's own cells and tissues. Autoimmune diseases include a wide variety of disorders, including many disorders of connective tissue, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.

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autoimmune disease Cultural  

1. A disease in which the body produces antibodies that attack its own tissues, leading to the deterioration and in some cases to the destruction of such tissue.

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Closer Look

A wide variety of disorders are classified as autoimmune diseases, ranging from systemic lupus erythematosus to type I diabetes, and many other disorders are suspected of having an autoimmune component. Autoimmune diseases can thus affect a wide variety of bodily tissues and processes, such as the skin, liver, kidneys, or other organs, or the chemical reactions essential to metabolism. Each disease has a characteristic set of autoantibodies (antibodies that attack normal cells or structures in the body itself). In some of these diseases, the autoantibodies that are produced actually cause the tissue and organ damage. In other cases, the antibodies are considered to be characteristic markers of the disease but do not cause disease themselves. It is thought that the autoantibodies are generated by an immunologic reaction with bodily proteins, but the reasons that a specific set of bodily proteins should provoke an immune response that results in disease remain obscure. The genetic makeup of the individual, environmental influences, and infectious disease organisms may all contribute to a person's susceptibility to autoimmune disease. For reasons that are not clear, the prevalence of many autoimmune diseases is much higher in women than in men. Recently there have been dramatic improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune disorders. New tests for diagnostically important autoantibodies have been discovered. Corticosteroids are used to reduce inflammation, and anticancer drugs that kill rapidly dividing cells are used to deplete activated cells in the immune system. The most promising new drugs consist of genetically engineered monoclonal antibodies that block just one part of the immune system. By selectively shutting down the part of the immune system involved in the autoimmune response, the drugs allow some people to see dramatic improvement in their symptoms with minimal side effects.

Etymology

Origin of autoimmune disease

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Cytokines are signaling molecules that help coordinate immune activity and prevent excessive reactions that could lead to autoimmune disease.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

The drug, a treatment for the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus, is already approved as an intravenous infusion and that form of administration remains commercially available, AstraZeneca said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

One condition is known as alopecia areata which is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks the hair follicles - causing the hair to fall out.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025

Setzer first shared details about his unspecified autoimmune disease in February, writing on social media that, although the illness was not painful, it rendered him unable to play guitar.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2025

There is a term for this dysfunction -- it is called an autoimmune disease, where an organism's defense system goes into overdrive so much that it fails to recognize itself and attacks its own cells.

From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory