Pathogenesis of autoimmune disease

Autoimmune diseases are a diverse group of conditions characterized by aberrant B cell and T reactivity to normal constituents the host. These occur widely affect individuals all ages, especially women. Among these diseases, most prominent immunological manifestation is production autoantibodies, which provide valuable biomarkers for diagnosis, classification disease activity. Although cells have key role in pathogenesis, they technically more difficult assay. In general, autoimmune results from an interplay between genetic predisposition environmental factors. Genetic autoimmunity complex can involve multiple genes that regulate function immune populations. Less frequently, result single-gene mutations regulatory pathways. Infection seems be common trigger disease, although microbiota also influence pathogenesis. As shown seminal studies, patients may express autoantibodies many years before appearance clinical or laboratory signs - period called pre-clinical autoimmunity. Monitoring autoantibody expression at-risk populations therefore enable early detection initiation therapy prevent attenuate tissue damage. Autoimmunity not static, however, remission achieved some treated with current agents.