Autoimmune disease

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Autoimmune disease

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. This may be restricted to certain organs (e.g. in thyroiditis

Thyroiditis

Thyroiditis is the inflammation of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is located on the front of the neck below the laryngeal prominence, and makes hormones that control metabolism....
) or involve a particular tissue in different places (e.g. Goodpasture's disease which may affect the basement membrane

Basement membrane

The basement membrane is a sheet of cells and fibers that covers two other kinds of cells -- the epithelium, which lines the cavities and surfaces of organs, and the endothelium, which lines the interior surface of blood vessels....
in both the lung and the kidney). The treatment of autoimmune diseases is typically with immunosuppression

Immunosuppression

Immunosuppression involves an act that reduces the activation or efficacy of the immune system. Some portions of the immune system itself have immuno-suppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other conditions....
—medication which decreases the immune response.

ly 79% of autoimmune disease patients in the USA are women.

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Thyroiditis

Basement membrane

Immunosuppression

Occurrence and onset

Nearly 79% of autoimmune disease patients in the USA are women. Symptoms tend to appear during or shortly after puberty. It is not known why this is the case, although hormone

Hormone

Hormones are chemicals released by cells that affect cells in other parts of the body. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism....
levels have been shown to affect the severity of some autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, leading to demyelinating disease. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females....
. Other causes may include the presence of fetal cells in the maternal bloodstream, i.e. microchimerism

Microchimerism

Microchimerism is the presence of a small number of cells that originate from another individual and therefore genetically distinct from the cells of the host individual....
.

Autoimmune diseases

It is possible to classify autoimmune diseases by corresponding type of hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system. Hypersensitivity reactions require a pre-sensitized state of the host....
: type II

Type II hypersensitivity

In type II hypersensitivity the antibodies produced by the immune response bind to antigens on the patient's own cell surfaces. The antigens recognized in this way may either be intrinsic or extrinsic ....
, type III

Type III hypersensitivity

Type III hypersensitivity occurs when antigens and antibodies are present in roughly equal amounts, causing extensive cross-linking....
, or type IV

Type IV hypersensitivity

Type IV hypersensitivity is often called delayed type hypersensitivity as the reaction takes two to three days to develop. Unlike the other types, it is not antibody mediated but rather is a type of cell-mediated response....
. (No type of autoimmune disease mimics type I hypersensitivity

Type I hypersensitivity

Type I hypersensitivity is an allergic reaction provoked by reexposure to a specific type of antigen referred to as an allergen.Exposure may be by ingestion, inhalation, injection , or direct contact....
.)

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is an immune mediated disease of the human brain. It usually occurs following a virus infection but may appear following vaccination, bacterial or Parasitism infection, or even appear spontaneously....
(ADEM) >Stiff person syndrome

Stiff person syndrome

Stiff person syndrome is a rare neurology disorder of unknown etiology....
>

Name	Accepted/ suspected	Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system. Hypersensitivity reactions require a pre-sensitized state of the host....	Autoantibody Autoantibody An autoantibody is an antibody manufactured by the immune system that is directed against one or more of the individual's own proteins.It is derived from the Greek "auto" which means "self", "anti" which means "against" and "body"....
Accepted	- \| Addison's disease Addison's disease Addison's disease is a rare endocrine disorder in which the adrenal gland doesn't produce enough steroid hormones . It may develop in children and adults, and may occur as the result many underlying causes....	Accepted	- \| Alopecia areata Alopecia areata Alopecia areata is a condition affecting humans, in which hair loss from areas of the body, usually from the scalp. Because it causes bald spots on the scalp, especially in the first stages, it is sometimes called spot baldness....	Accepted	- \| Ankylosing spondylitis Ankylosing spondylitis Ankylosing spondylitis It is a member of the group of the spondyloarthropathy with a strong genetic predisposition. Complete fusion results in a complete rigidity of the spine, a condition known as bamboo spine....	Doubtful	- \| Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS)	Accepted	- \| Autoimmune hemolytic anemia Autoimmune hemolytic anemia Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a type of hemolytic anemia where the body's immune system attacks its own red blood cells , leading to their destruction ....	Accepted	- \| Autoimmune hepatitis Autoimmune hepatitis Anomalous presentation of human leukocyte antigen class II on the surface of hepatocytes, possibly due to genetic predisposition or acute liver infection; causes a cell-mediated immune response against the body's own liver, resulting in autoimmune hepatitis....	Accepted	Anti-Smooth Muscle Actin \|- \| Autoimmune inner ear disease Autoimmune inner ear disease Autoimmune inner ear disease is a suspected Autoimmune disease characterized by rapidly progressive bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. It occurs when the body's immune system attacks cells in the inner ear that are mistaken for a virus or bacteria....	Suspected	- \| Bullous pemphigoid Bullous pemphigoid Bullous pemphigoid, also referred to as BP, is a chronic autoimmune disorder skin disease, involving the formation of blisters below the surface of the skin and antibodies against the Collagen XVII component of hemidesmosomes....	Accepted	II	Anti-Bullous Pemphigoid Antigen 1 and 2 (Hemidesmosome antigens) \|- \| Coeliac disease Coeliac disease C?liac disease , also spelled celiac disease, is an Autoimmunity disorder of the small intestine that occurs in Genetic predisposition people of all ages from middle infancy on up....	Accepted	IV??	Anti-transglutaminase Anti-transglutaminase antibodies Anti-transglutaminase antibodies are antibodies found more frequently in certain autoimmune diseases. High levels of ATA are found in almost all instances of coeliac disease.... \|- \| Chagas disease Chagas disease 'Chagas disease' is a tropical disease parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. T. cruzi is commonly transmitted to humans and other mammals by an insect Vector , the hematophagy assassin bugs of the subfamily Triatominae most commonly species belonging to the Triatoma, Rhodnius, and Panstrongy...	Suspected	- \| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	Suspected	- \| Crohns Disease (one of two types of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease "IBD")	Accepted	IV	- \| Dermatomyositis Dermatomyositis Dermatomyositis is a connective-tissue disease related to Polymyositis that is characterized by inflammation of the muscles and the skin....	Accepted	- \| Diabetes mellitus type 1 Diabetes mellitus type 1 Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a form of diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that results in destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas....	Accepted	- \| Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis is a medical condition in women in which endometrial cells are deposited in areas outside the uterine cavity. The uterine cavity is lined by endometrial cells, which are under the influence of female hormones....	Suspected	- \| Goodpasture's syndrome Goodpasture's syndrome Goodpasture?s syndrome is a rare condition characterised by rapid destruction of the kidneys and haemorrhaging of the lungs. Although many diseases can present with these symptoms, the name Goodpasture?s syndrome is usually reserved for the autoimmune disease produced when the patient?s immune system attacks cells presenting the Goodpasture...	Accepted	II	Anti-Basment Membrane Collagen Type IV Protein \|- \| Graves' disease	Accepted	- \| Guillain-Barré syndrome Guillain-Barré syndrome Guillain-Barr? syndrome is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy , an Autoimmune Disease disease affecting the peripheral nervous system, usually triggered by an acute infectious process.... (GBS)	Accepted	IV	Anti-ganglioside Anti-ganglioside antibodies Anti-ganglioside antibodies that react to self-gangliosides are found in autoimmune neuropathies. These antibodies were first found to react with cerebellar cells.... \|- \| Hashimoto's disease	Accepted	IV	- \| Hidradenitis suppurativa Hidradenitis suppurativa Hidradenitis suppurativa or HS is a skin disease that affects areas bearing apocrine sweat glands and hair follicles; such as the underarms, groin and buttocks....	Suspected	- \| Kawasaki disease Kawasaki disease Kawasaki disease is an inflammation of the middle-sized arteries. It affects many organs, including the skin, mucous membranes, lymph nodes, and blood vessel walls, but the most serious effect is on the heart....	Suspected	- \| IgA nephropathy IgA nephropathy IgA nephropathy is a form of glomerulonephritis . This should not be confused with Buerger's disease, an unrelated condition.IgA nephropathy is the most common glomerulonephritis throughout the world....	Suspected	- \| Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is the condition of having a low platelet platelet count of no known cause . As most causes appear to be related to antibody against platelets, it is also known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura or immune-mediated thrombocytopenic purpura....	Accepted	- \| Interstitial cystitis Interstitial cystitis Interstitial cystitis is a urinary bladder disease of unknown cause characterised by urinary frequency , urgency, pressure and/or pain in the bladder and/or pelvis....	Suspected	- \| Lupus erythematosus Lupus erythematosus Lupus erythematosus is a connective tissue disease....	Accepted	- \| Mixed Connective Tissue Disease Mixed connective tissue disease In medicine, mixed connective tissue disease, commonly abbreviated as MCTD, is an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system attacks itself....	Accepted	- \| Morphea Morphea Did you perhaps mean morphia?Morphea is a medical term for localized scleroderma. The disease involves isolated patches of hardened skin - there generally is no internal organ involvement....	Suspected	- \| Multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, leading to demyelinating disease. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females.... (MS)	Accepted	IV	Anti-Myelin Basic Protein \|- \| Myasthenia gravis Myasthenia gravis Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatigue . It is an autoimmunity, in which weakness is caused by circulating antibody that block acetylcholine receptors at the post-synaptic neuromuscular junction, inhibiting the stimulative effect of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine....	Accepted	- \| Narcolepsy Narcolepsy Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep. The condition is most characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness , in which a person experiences extreme tiredness and possibly falls asleep during the day at inappropriate times, such as at work or school....	Suspected	- \| Neuromyotonia Neuromyotonia Neuromyotonia, also known as Isaacs' Syndrome, is spontaneous muscle activity resulting from repetitive motor unit action potentials of peripheral origin....	Suspected	- \| Pemphigus Vulgaris Pemphigus vulgaris Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic blistering skin disease with skin lesions that are rarely pruritic, but which are often painful....	Accepted	II	Anti-Desmogein 3 \|- \| Pernicious anaemia	Accepted	II	- \| Polymyositis Polymyositis Polymyositis is a type of chronic inflammatory myopathy, related to dermatomyositis and inclusion body myositis. Polymyositis means 'many muscle inflammation'....	Accepted	- \| Primary biliary cirrhosis Primary biliary cirrhosis Primary biliary cirrhosis is an autoimmune disease of the liver marked by the slow progressive destruction of the small bile ducts within the liver....	Accepted	Anti-p62 Anti-p62 antibodies Anti-nucleoporin 62 antibodies are found in a primary biliary cirrhosis. p62 is also more frequent in Stage IV primary biliary cirrhosis and is prognostic for severe disease. The autoantigen is the nucleoporin 62kDA protein.... , Anti-sp100 Anti-sp100 antibodies Anti-sp100 antibodies are found in association with primary biliary cirrhosis. The autoimmune target of anti-sp100 is the sp100 nuclear antigen which was identified by its association with primary biliary cirrhosis.... , Anti-Mitochondrial(M2) \|- \| Psoriasis]	Rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic disease inflammation that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints producing a inflammatory synovitis that often progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints....	Accepted	III	Rheumatoid factor Rheumatoid factor Rheumatoid factor is an autoantibody most relevant in rheumatoid arthritis. It is an antibody against the Fc portion of IgG, which is itself an antibody.... \|- \| Schizophrenia Schizophrenia Schizophrenia , from the Ancient Greek Root schizein and phren, phren- is a psychiatry diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality....	Suspected	- Sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis, also called sarcoid or Besnier-Boeck disease, is a multisystem disorder characterized by non-caseating granulomas . It most commonly arises in young adults.... \| Scleroderma Scleroderma Systemic scleroderma is a systemic connective tissue disease.It is also known as "systemic Sclerosis "....	Suspected	Anti-topoisomerase Anti-topoisomerase antibodies Anti-topoisomerase antibodies are autoantibodies directed against topoisomerase and found in several diseases, most importantly scleroderma. Diseases with ATA are autoimmune disease because they react with self-proteins.... \|- \| Sjögren's syndrome Sjögren's syndrome Sj?gren's syndrome is an autoimmunity in which immune cells attack and destroy the exocrine glands that produce tears and saliva.It is named after Swedish ophthalmology Henrik Sj?gren , who first described it....	Accepted
Suspected	- \| Temporal arteritis Temporal arteritis Giant cell arteritis is an inflammation disease of blood vessels . It a form of vasculitis.The name reflects the type of inflammatory cell that is involved .... (also known as "giant cell arteritis")	Accepted	IV	- \| Ulcerative Colitis Ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease . Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the intestine, specifically the large intestine or colon , that includes characteristic Peptic ulcer, or open sores, in the colon.... (one of two types of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease "IBD")	Accepted	IV	- \| Vasculitis Vasculitis Vasculitis refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders that are characterized by inflammatory destruction of blood vessels.Both arteries and veins are affected....	Accepted	- \| Vitiligo Vitiligo Vitiligo or leukoderma is a Chronic skin disorder that causes loss of Biological pigment, resulting in irregular pale patches of skin. It occurs when the melanocytes, cells responsible for skin pigmentation, die or are unable to function....	Suspected	- \| Wegener's granulomatosis Wegener's granulomatosis Wegener's granulomatosis is a form of vasculitis that affects the lungs, kidneys and other organs. Due to its end-organ damage, it can be a serious disease that requires long-term immune suppression....	Accepted	Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic(cANCA) Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies are a group of mainly IgG antibodies against antigens in the cytoplasm of neutrophil granulocytes and monocytes....

Development of therapies

In both autoimmune and inflammatory diseases the condition arises through aberrant reactions of the human adaptive or innate immune systems. In autoimmunity, the patient’s immune system is activated against the body's own proteins. In inflammatory diseases, it is the overreaction of the immune system, and its subsequent downstream signaling (TNF, IFN, etc), which causes problems.

A substantial minority of the population suffers from these diseases, which are often chronic, debilitating, and life-threatening. There are more than eighty illnesses caused by autoimmunity. It has been estimated that autoimmune diseases are among the ten leading causes of death among women in all age groups up to 65 years.

Currently, a considerable amount of research is being conducted into treatment of these conditions. According to a report from Frost & Sullivan, the total alliance payouts in the autoimmune/inflammation segment from 1997 to 2002 totaled $489.8 million, where Eli Lilly, Suntory, Procter & Gamble, Encysive, and Novartis together account for 98.6 percent of alliance payouts.

External links

at University of Iowa
University of Iowa

The University of Iowa is a public university research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees....