Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Autoimmune diseases result when your immune system is overactive, causing it to attack and damage your body's own tissues. Normally, your immune system creates proteins called antibodies...
Overview of Autoimmune Diseases. Your immune system is the network of cells and tissues in your body that work together to defend you from viruses, bacteria, and infection. It tries to identify and destroy the invaders that might hurt you.
Autoimmune diseases are a case of mistaken identity in which the body's immune system, which ordinarily attacks intruders like viruses and bacteria, attacks itself. There are more than 100 different autoimmune diseases, some of which involve a single organ (e.g. Hashimoto's thyroiditis ) and others that attack nearly any organ or tissue (e.g ...
If you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake. Other immune system problems happen when your immune system does not work correctly. These problems include immunodeficiency diseases.
There are many different autoimmune diseases. Some involve only one type of tissue. For example, in a disease called vasculitis, your immune system attacks your blood vessels. Other autoimmune diseases involve many different parts of the body. Lupus, for example, can damage the skin, heart, lungs, and more.
Autoimmune diseases vary widely, but all involve the immune system attacking healthy tissue. Examples include psoriatic disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and celiac disease.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system attacks the healthy cells of the body, destroying healthy tissues. In terms of numbers, autoimmune diseases are the third most prevalent category of diseases, following heart disease and cancer. While most are not fatal, these diseases impose limitations on an individual’s health and lifestyle ...