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. Autoimmune diseases are a major cause of immune-mediated diseases, and are commonly referred to as Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases (AIID).
Note to readers: as it stands this page appears to be muddled, repetitative and rather ill-informed. (For instance, the distinction between autoimmune and inflammatory disease is inconsistently applied and the classification of disorders includes a number of unsubstantiated claims.) The page on autoimmunity may be more helpful.
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]
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, INF, 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.[28]
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.[29]
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^ Agustí A, MacNee W, Donaldson K, Cosio M. (2003). "Hypothesis: does COPD have an autoimmune component?". Thorax58 (10): 832–834. doi:10.1136/thorax.58.10.832. PMID 14514931.
^ Lee SH, Goswami S, Grudo A, et al (2007). "Antielastin autoimmunity in tobacco smoking-induced emphysema". Nat. Med.13 (5): 567–9. doi:10.1038/nm1583. PMID 17450149.
^ Gleicher N, el-Roeiy A, Confino E, Friberg J (1987). "Is endometriosis an autoimmune disease?". Obstetrics and gynecology70 (1): 115–22. PMID 3110710.
^ Kárpáti F, Dénes L, Büttner K (1975). "[Interstitial cystitis=autoimmune cyatitis? Interstitial as a participating disease in lupus erythematosus]" (in German). Zeitschrift für Urologie und Nephrologie68 (9): 633–9. PMID 1227191.
^ Carlander, B., Eliaou J.F., Billiard M. (1993). "Autoimmune hypothesis in narcolepsy.". Neurophysiol. Clin.23: 15. doi:10.1016/S0987-7053(05)80279-5.
^ Maddison P (2006). "Neuromyotonia". Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology117 (10): 2118–27. doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2006.03.008. PMID 16843723.
^ Eaton WW, Byrne M, Ewald H, et al (2006). "Association of schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases: linkage of Danish national registers". The American journal of psychiatry163 (3): 521–8. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.163.3.521. PMID 16513876.
^ Jones AL, Mowry BJ, Pender MP, Greer JM (2005). "Immune dysregulation and self-reactivity in schizophrenia: do some cases of schizophrenia have an autoimmune basis?". Immunol. Cell Biol.83 (1): 9–17. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1711.2005.01305.x. PMID 15661036.
^ Strous RD, Shoenfeld Y (2006). "Schizophrenia, autoimmunity and immune system dysregulation: a comprehensive model updated and revisited". J. Autoimmun.27 (2): 71–80. doi:10.1016/j.jaut.2006.07.006. PMID 16997531.