OBJECTIVES Increased prevalence of familial autoimmune disease is a common finding among probands with various autoimmune disorders. Autistic disorder (autism) is a highly genetic disorder with known immune and immunogenetic abnormalities. Previous research has found an increased frequency of autoimmune disorders in families with autistic probands. We further investigated this association by de...

Autoimmune neuromuscular disorders affecting peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junction or muscle have a wide clinical spectrum with diverse pathogenetic mechanisms. Peripheral nervous system may be targeted in the context of complex immune reactions involving different cytokines, antigen-presenting cells, B cells and different types of T cells. Various immunomodulating and cytotoxic treatments ...

Autoimmune disorders affect 5-10% of the general population, [1] and often involve central and peripheral nervous system. In this special issue of Current Neuropharmacology experts discuss pathophysiology, clinical features and treatment of various neurologic autoimmune disorders. In the last decade we have witnessed remarkable scientific advances which have greatly improved our understanding o...

Autoimmune diseases affect around 5% of the population but until recently, although the pathological features of these disorders could be described, there was little idea about the aetiology. Through the development of animal models and the identification of target genes some insight is being gained into the pathogenetic basis of these complex diseases. Blood disorders in which autoantibodies a...

Autoinflammatory and autoimmune disorders are characterized by chronic activation of the immune system, which leads to systemic self-directed inflammation in genetically predisposed individuals. Mutations in inflammasome-related proteins have been associated with autoinflammatory disorders, and the link between inflammasome and autoimmune disorders is becoming increasingly clear. As researchers...

This study aimed at evaluating the frequency of autoimmune disorders in Addison's disease. We have observed 180 patients (113 females, 67 males, aged 9-74 years) for 1 to 26 years. Tuberculosis was noted in 54 patients. Autoimmune disorders were found in 80 patients (44%); however, 125 (69%) patients were believed to have an autoimmune origin of adrenocortical insufficiency. In 20 patients two ...

Purpose of Review. Studies have been published in the field of autoimmune thyroid diseases since January 2005. The review is organized into areas of etiology, autoimmune features, autoantibodies, mechanism of thyroid cell injury, B-cell responses, and T-cell responses. Also it reviews the diagnosis and the relationship between autoimmune thyroid disease, neoplasm, and kidney disorders. Recent F...

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, comes from a Greek term meaning “the falling off of the leaves.” Apoptosis is also known as cell suicide and is a mechanism that is present in most eukaryotic cells to regulate cell numbers. It can be considered as the opposite of mitosis. Apoptosis is a normal part of development and is required during development, creation of the central nervous system, de...

Background. Comorbid autoimmune diseases in MS patients have been studied extensively with controversial results. Moreover, no such data exists for Latin-American MS patients. Methods. We conducted a case-control study aimed to establish the prevalence of autoimmune disorders in a cohort of Argentinean MS patients. Results. There were no significant differences in autoimmune disease prevalence ...