Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the body attacks its own cells. Today there are more than 40 human diseases classified as either definite or probable autoimmune diseases, and they affect 5% to 7% of the population. Almost all autoimmune diseases appear without warning or apparent cause, and most patients suffer from fatigue. A request has been made on Wikipedia for this article to be deleted in accordance with the deletion policy. ...

The causes of autoimmune diseases are still obscure: Some are thought to be either examples of or precipitated by diseases of affluence. For example, arthritis and obesity are acknowledged to be related, and the World Health Organisation states that arthritis is most common in developed countries. Most autoimmune diseases are probably the result of multiple circumstances, for example, a genetic predisposition triggered by an infection. Diseases of affluence are those diseases which are thought to be a result of increasing wealth in a society. ... Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation) is a group of conditions that affect the health of the bone joints in the body. ... For other meanings of the acronym WHO, see WHO (disambiguation) WHO flag Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Health Organization (WHO) is an agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on international public health. ... Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation) is a group of conditions that affect the health of the bone joints in the body. ...

Women tend to be affected more often by autoimmune disorders; nearly 79% of autoimmune disease patients in the USA are women. Also they tend to appear during or shortly after puberty. It is not known why this is the case, although hormone levels have been shown to affect the severity of some autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis [1]. Other causes may include the presence of fetal cells in the maternal bloodstream. [2] A hormone (from Greek horman - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ...

Autoimmune diseases

Accepted

Diseases with a complete or partial autoimmune etiology:

• Crohn's disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract. Major symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea.
• Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acquired immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system (i.e., not the brain and spinal column). It is also called acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, acute idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis, acute idiopathic polyneuritis and Landry's ascending paralysis.
• Lupus erythematosus is a chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disease wherein the immune system, for unknown reasons, becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue. This attack results in inflammation and brings about symptoms. This is a "Non-organ-specific" type of autoimmune disease.
• Multiple sclerosis is a disorder of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) characterised by decreased nerve function due to myelin loss and secondary axonal damage.
• Myasthenia gravis is a disorder of neuromuscular transmission leading to fluctuating weakness and fatigue. Weakness is caused by circulating antibodies that block acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction.
• Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve that may cause a complete or partial loss of vision.
• Psoriasis is a skin disorder in which rapidly-multiplying skin cells produce itchy, scaly inflamed patches on the skin.
• Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body's immune system to attack the bone joints.
• Graves' disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism, and is caused by anti-thyroid antibodies that have the effect of stimulating the thyroid into overproduction of thyroid hormone.
• Hashimoto's disease is a common form of hypothyroidism, characterised by initial inflammation of the thyroid, and, later, dysfunction and goiter. There are several characteristic antibodies (e.g., anti-thyroglobulin).
• Ord's thyroiditis is a thyroiditis similar to Hashimoto's disease, except that the thyroid is reduced in size. In Europe, this form of thyroid inflammation is more common than Hashimoto's disease.
• Diabetes mellitus (type 1) is the result of an autoimmune attack on the islet cells of the pancreas.
• Addison's disease is often caused by autoimmune destruction of the adrenal cortex.
• Aplastic anemia is often caused by an autoimmune attack on the bone marrow.
• Reiter's syndrome seems to be an autoimmune attack on various body systems in response to a bacterial infection and the body's confusion over the HLA-B27 marker
• Autoimmune hepatitis is a disorder wherein the liver is the target of the body's own autoimmune system.
• Primary biliary cirrhosis appears to be an autoimmune disease that affects the biliary epithelial cells (BECs) of the small bile duct in the liver. Although the cause is yet to be determined, most of the patients (>90%) appear to have auto-mitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) against pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), an enzyme that is found in the mitochondria.
• Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) affects the blood-clotting process. It causes blood clots to form in veins and/or arteries.
• Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a neurological disorder that appears to the result of an autoimmune attack on the nervous system. Symptoms include opsoclonus, myoclonus, ataxia, intention tremor, dysphasia, dysarthria, mutism, hypotonia, lethargy, irritability or malaise. About half of all OMS cases occur in association with neuroblastoma.
• Temporal arteritis (also known as "giant cell arteritis") is an inflammation of blood vessels, most commonly the large and medium arteries of the head. Untreated, the disorder can lead to significant vision loss.
• Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a form of encephalitis caused by an autoimmune reaction and typically occurring a few days or weeks after a viral infection or a vaccination.
• Goodpasture's syndrome is a disease characterised by rapid destruction of the kidneys and haemorrhaging of the lungs through autoimmune reaction against an antigen found in both organs.
• Wegener's granulomatosis is a form of vasculitis that affects the lungs, kidneys and other organs.
• Coeliac disease is a disease characterised by chronic inflammation of the proximal portion of the small intestine caused by exposure to certain dietary gluten proteins.
• Pemphigus is an autoimmune disorder that causes blistering and raw sores on skin and mucous membranes.
• Polyarthritis in dogs is an immune reaction severely affecting the joints of dogs. Although rare and of unknown cause it can render a dog immobile even at a very young age. Treatment includes cortisone-type drugs.
• Warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a disorder characterized by IgM attack against red blood cells
• Takayasu's arteritis is a disorder that results in the narrowing of the lumen of arteries.

Diagram of the Human Intestine Crohns disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive tract and it can involve any part of it, from the mouth to the anus. ... In medicine, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the large intestine and, in some cases, the small intestine. ... The intestine is the portion of the alimentary canal extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine. ... Diarrhea (American English) or diarrhoea (Commonwealth English) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent and watery, chunky, or loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word διαρροή = leakage; lit. ... Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), is an acquired immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system (i. ... The peripheral nervous system or PNS, is part of the nervous system, and consists of the nerves and neurons that reside or extend outside the central nervous system--to serve the limbs and organs, for example. ... A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ... Nerves (yellow)    Nerves redirects here. ... In neuroscience, myelin is an electrically insulating phospholipid layer that surrounds the axons of many neurons. ... An axon, or nerve fiber, is a long slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that conducts electrical impulses away from the neurons cell body or soma. ... Myasthenia gravis (MG, Latin: grave muscle weakness) is a neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating weakness and fatiguability. ... Fatigue is a state, following a period of mental or physical activity, characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment, usually accompanied by a feeling of weariness, sleepiness, or irritability. ... The chemical compound acetylcholine, often abbreviated as ACh, was the first neurotransmitter to be identified. ... Optic neuritis is the inflammation of the optic nerve that may cause a complete or partial loss of vision. ... Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. ... The optic nerve is the nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. ... Diagram of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ... Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints. ... The immune system is the system of specialized cells and organs that protect an organism from outside biological influences. ... Grays illustration of a human femur, a typically recognized bone. ... Graves-Basedow disease is a form of thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder that stimulates the thyroid gland, being the most common cause of hyperthyroidism (overactivity of the thyroid). ... Hyperthyroidism (or overactive thyroid gland) is the clinical syndrome caused by an excess of circulating free thyroxine (T4) or free triiodothyronine (T3), or both. ... The thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), are tyrosine-based hormones produced by the thyroid gland. ... Hashimotos thyroiditis is the most common form of thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease where the bodys own antibodies fight the cells of the thyroid. ... Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. ... Thyroglobulin is a protein secreted by the thyroid gland. ... Thyroiditis is an inflammation of the thyroid gland. ... Diabetes mellitus is a medical disorder characterized by varying or persistent hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar levels), especially after eating. ... The endocrine (i. ... The pancreas is an organ that serves two functions: exocrine - it produces pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes. ... Addisons disease (also known as chronic adrenal insufficiency, or hypocortisolism) is a rare endocrine disorder, first described by British physician Thomas Addison. ... In mammals, the adrenal glands are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit atop the kidneys. ... Aplastic anemia is a condition where the bone marrow does not produce enough, or any, new cells to replenish the blood cells. ... Grays Anatomy illustration of cells in bone marrow. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Reactive arthritis. ... Human Leukocyte Antigen B*27 (subtypes B*2701-2724) is a class I surface antigen encoded by the B locus in the MHC on chromosome 6. ... In medicine (gastroenterology), hepatitis is any disease featuring inflammation of the liver. ... Primary biliary cirrhosis is an autoimmune disease of the liver marked by the slow progressive destruction of the small bile ducts within the liver. ... Antiphospholipid syndrome, or antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, is a disorder of coagulation, and causes thrombosis in both arteries and veins, as well as recurrent miscarriage. ... Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a rare neurological disorder of unknown causes which appears to be the result of an autoimmune process involving the nervous system. ... Opsoclonus refers to a uncontrolled movement of the eyes. ... Myoclonus is brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles. ... Ataxia (from Greek ataxiā, meaning failure to put in order) is unsteady and clumsy motion of the limbs or trunk due to a failure of the fine coordination of muscle movements. ... Dysphasia is a speech disorder in which there is an impairment of speech and of comprehension of speech. ... Dysarthria (from new latin dys-, prefix meaning mis-, dis-, accidental + greek -arthro, joint) is an injury or symptom describing minor speech impediments, often slurred speech. ... Hypotonia is a sometimes serious medical condition that entails abnormally-decreased muscle tone, and is almost always found as early as infancy. ... Malaise is a term used to refer to a general state of discomfort, tiredness, or illness. ... Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid cancer in infancy and childhood. ... Temporal arteritis, also called giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory disease of blood vessels (most commonly large and medium arteries of the head). ... Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an immune mediated disease of brain. ... Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain, commonly caused by a viral infection. ... Vaccination is a term coined by Edward Jenner for the process of administering live, albeit weakened, microbes to patients, with the intent of conferring immunity against a targeted form of a related disease agent. ... Goodpasture’s syndrome (also known as Goodpasture’s disease and anti-glomerular basement membrane disease or anti-GBM disease) was first described by Ernest Goodpasture in 1919. ... In medicine (rheumatology), Wegeners granulomatosis is a form of vasculitis that affects the lungs, kidneys and other organs. ... In medicine, vasculitis (plural: vasculitides) is a group of diseases featuring inflammation of the wall of blood vessels. ... Coeliac disease (also called celiac disease, non-tropical sprue, c(o)eliac sprue, gluten enteropathy and gluten intolerance) is a digestive disorder. ... Diagram showing the small intestine In biology the small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract between the stomach and the large intestine (colon). ... Wheat - a prime source of gluten Gluten is an amorphous ergastic protein found combined with starch in the endosperm of some cereals, notably wheat, rye, and barley. ... Pemphigus is an autoimmune disorder that causes blistering and raw sores on skin and mucous membranes. ... Diagram of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ... The mucous membranes (or mucosa) are linings of ectodermic origin, covered in epithelium, that line various body cavities and internal organs. ... Polyarthritis is any type of arthritis which involves more than one joint. ... Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (warm AIHA) is the most common of the autoimmune hemolytic diseases. ... Takayasus arteritis is an inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that affects the aorta and its branches. ...

Suspected

Diseases suspected to be linked to autoimmunity are:

• Endometriosis is a common medical condition wherein the tissue lining the uterus (endometrium) is found outside of the uterus, typically affecting other organs in the pelvis. The condition can lead to serious health problems, primarily pain and infertility.
• Interstitial cystitis is a urinary bladder disease characterised by pelvic pain, urinary frequency (as often as every 30 minutes), pain with sexual intercourse, but no pain with urination.
• Neuromyotonia is spontaneous muscular activity resulting from repetitive motor unit action potentials of peripheral origin. It develops as a result of both acquired and hereditary diseases. The acquired form is more frequent and is usually caused by antibodies against neuromuscular junction.
• Scleroderma is a chronic disease characterized by excessive deposits of collagen. Progressive systemic scleroderma, the serious type of the disease, can be fatal. The local type of the disease is not serious.
• Vitiligo is the spontaneous loss of pigment from areas of skin. The pigment-free areas have few or no melanocytes. Researchers have detected anti-melanocyte antibodies in some cases of vitiligo, so it seems likely that at least some instances of this condition are the result of autoimmune problems.
• Vulvodynia is used to describe pain in the vulva, often severe, of unknown cause. "Vulvar vestibulitis" is a related term.
• Chagas' disease in the chronic phase is believed to result from homology of a T. cruzi antigen to body tissue, resulting in a delayed autoimmune reaction leading to Chagasic cardiopathy (cardiomegaly), volvulus or constipation, and ultimately death.
• Sarcoidosis is a disease wherein granulomas can form anywhere in the body but particularly in the lungs.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disorder whose primary symptom is usually intense fatigue. Though the syndrome likely has multiple causes, some maintain that autoimmune damage to the brain stem is the principal mechanism in a significant subset of cases.
• Dysautonomia is a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system, including such disorders as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Though dysautonomia appears to have multiple causes, post-viral autoimmune damage appears to be a frequent cause.
• Hidradenitis suppurativa is a rare skin disease in which apocrine sweat glands become severely inflamed. Researches have found an improvement in case studies with Remicade and other biologics.
• Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of the bowel that usually affects the distal end of the large intestine and rectum. It has no known cause, although there is a genetic component to susceptibility. Some medical authorities (such as the UK's National Blood Donation Service which refuses donations from Colitis sufferers) class Colitis as an Autoimmune disease.

Female internal reproductive anatomy The uterus or womb is the major female reproductive organ of most mammals, including humans. ... The endometrium is the inner uterine membrane in mammals which is developed in preparation for the implantation of a fertilized egg upon its arrival into the uterus. ... Human male pelvis, viewed from front Human female pelvis, viewed from front The pelvis is the bony structure located at the base of the spine (properly known as the caudal end). ... Pain is an unpleasant sensation which may be associated with actual or potential tissue damage and which may have physical and emotional components. ... Infertility is the inability to naturally conceive a child or the inability to carry a pregnancy to term. ... Interstitial cystitis (commonly abbreviated to IC) is a urinary bladder disease of unknown cause characterised by pelvic and intense bladder pain, urinary frequency (as often as every 10 minutes), pain with sexual intercourse, and often pain with urination. ... The interior of bladder. ... Neuromyotonia is spontaneous muscular activity resulting from repetitive motor unit action potentials of peripheral origin. ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle is a contractile form of tissue. ... A genetic disorder, or genetic disease is a disease caused, at least in part, by the genes of the person with the disease. ... Schematic of antibody binding to an antigen An antibody is a protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects like bacteria and viruses. ... Scleroderma is a rare, chronic disease characterized by excessive deposits of collagen. ... Young woman with Vitiligo Vitiligo (or leukoderma) is the patchy loss of skin pigmentation due to an auto-immune attack by the bodys own immune system on skin melanocytes. ... Melanocytes are cells located in the bottom layer of the skins epidermis. ... The term vulvodynia is used to describe pain in the vulva, often severe, of unknown cause. ... Labeled picture of external human female reproductive anatomy. ... Chagas disease (also called American trypanosomiasis) is a Mammalian disease occurring only in the Americas. ... Cardiomegaly is a medical condition wherein the heart is enlarged. ... A volvulus is a loop of bowel that has twisted on itself, possibly resulting in loss of blood flow to part or all of the intestines (strangulation). ... Constipation is a condition of the digestive system where a person (or other animal) experiences hard feces that is difficult to eliminate; it may be extremely painful, and in extreme cases (fecal impaction) lead to symptoms of bowel obstruction. ... In medicine (anatomical pathology), a granuloma is a group of epithelioid macrophages surrounded by a lymphocyte cuff. ... Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS) and various other names, is a syndrome of unknown and possibly multiple etiology, affecting the central nervous system (CNS), immune, and many other systems and organs. ... Fatigue is a state, following a period of mental or physical activity, characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment, usually accompanied by a feeling of weariness, sleepiness, or irritability. ... Dysautonomia is any disease or malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. ... Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (or POTS) is a condition of orthostatic intolerance in which a change from the supine position to an upright position causes an abnormally-high increase in heart rate. ... Hidradenitis suppurativa or HS is a poorly studied skin disease that affects areas bearing apocrine sweat glands and hair follicles; such as the underarms, groin and buttocks, and under the breasts in women. ... Sweating (also called perspiration or sometimes transpiration) is the loss of a watery fluid, consisting mainly of sodium chloride and urea in solution, that is secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. ... Infliximab (Remicade®) is a powerful drug used to treat auto-immune disorders like Crohns disease and rheumatoid arthritis. ...

Reference

• Aaseng, Nathan; Franklin Watts Library Edition: Autoimmune Diseases ISBN 0-531-12553-x

External links

• Autoimmune disease research at the Immune Tolerance Network
• Links to pictures of Autoimmune Diseases (Hardin MD/Univ of Iowa)