Knowra Autoimmune disease Autoimmune disease An autoimmune disease occurs when immune responses target the body’s own cells, tissues, or organs. It can affect one site or multiple systems and may follow relapsing or persistent courses.
Immune tolerance : The immune system’s ability to avoid harmful responses against the body’s own molecules and tissues. Breakdowns in central or peripheral tolerance allow self-reactive immune cells to cause disease.
Adaptive immunity : The antigen-specific arm of immunity, mediated chiefly by B cells, T cells, and their products. Most autoimmune responses involve adaptive immune recognition of self-antigens.
Rheumatoid arthritis : A chronic autoimmune disease that primarily inflames the joints and can affect other organs. It illustrates systemic autoimmunity with persistent inflammation and progressive joint damage.
Allergy : An immune response to a usually harmless substance that causes symptoms or tissue injury. Allergy targets external substances, whereas autoimmune disease targets the body’s own components.
Autoantibody : An antibody that binds an antigen from the body’s own cells or tissues. Some autoimmune diseases are driven by antibodies that bind self-targets or alter their function.
Innate immunity : The rapid, broadly responsive immune defenses that include barriers, phagocytes, and inflammatory pathways. Innate signals can initiate or intensify the adaptive responses involved in autoimmunity.
Systemic lupus erythematosus : A systemic autoimmune disease that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, blood, and other organs. Its varied manifestations show how one autoimmune disease can involve many tissues.
Autoinflammatory disease : A disorder driven mainly by dysregulation of innate immune inflammation, usually without pathogenic self-reactive antibodies or T cells. It can resemble autoimmunity clinically but typically arises through different immune mechanisms.
Autoreactive T cell : A T lymphocyte that recognizes and responds to an antigen produced by the body. These cells can directly damage tissue or coordinate other self-directed immune responses.
Antigen presentation : The display of antigen fragments by cells, especially through major histocompatibility complex molecules. Presentation of self-antigens helps shape self-reactive T-cell responses.
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