Autoimmune disease
autoimmune disease An immunological disorder in which the immune system turns against itself. Autoimmunity can be the cause of a broad spectrum of human illnesses. Autoimmune diseases were not accepted into the mainstream of medicine until the 1950s and 1960s.
They are diseases in which the progression from benign autoimmunity to pathogenic autoimmunity. It happens over a period of time and is determined by both genetic influences and environmental triggers. Examples of autoimmune diseases are idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Graves’ disease, myasthenia gravis, pemphigus vulgaris (cause of pemphigus), and bullous pemphigoid (a blistering disease).
