Autoimmune Diseases

Toward medicines that recruit the body's natural disease-fighting proteins

Like recruiters pitching military service to a throng of people, scientists are developing drugs to recruit disease-fighting proteins present naturally in everyone's blood in medicine's war on infections, cancer and a range ...

Immunology created Aug 22, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Sunlight and vitamin D findings may help understanding of autoimmune diseases

(Medical Xpress) -- Aberdeen scientists have demonstrated for the first time a clear link between sunlight, vitamin D and an impact on regulatory cells in the immune system in findings that might provide new ...

Immunology created Jul 18, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Common MS drugs taken together do not reduce relapse risk

A recent clinical trial found that interferonβ-1a (INF) and glatiramer acetate (GA), two of the most commonly prescribed drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS), provide no additional clinical benefit when taken together. While ...

Neuroscience created Mar 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Sick from your stomach: Bacterial changes may trigger diseases like rheumatoid arthritis

The billions of bugs in our guts have a newfound role: regulating the immune system and related autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, according to researchers at Mayo Clinic and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Inflammatory disorders created Jun 11, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New standards to improve diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome

(Medical Xpress) -- Sjögren's syndrome largely was unknown to the American public until tennis star Venus Williams withdrew from the U.S. Open last year and announced she had the autoimmune disease, ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Aug 10, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Progesterone may be why pregnant women are more vulnerable to certain infections

Women who are pregnant or using synthetic progesterone birth control injections have a conspicuous vulnerability to certain infections including malaria, Listeria, HIV, and herpes simplex virus. A new research report appearing ...

Medical research created Feb 28, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

No increased risk of cancer for people with shingles

Herpes zoster, or shingles, does not increase the risk of cancer in the general population, according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Cancer created Sep 17, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Messenger substance and signalling molecule influence the development of the skin's immune cells

A signalling molecule known as Axl has been discovered on immune cells of the epidermis. This recently published finding provides new insight into the development of important skin immune cells known as Langerhans ...

Medical research created Jan 29, 2013 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Chromatin marks the spot in search for disease pathways

In September 2012, the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project Consortium, a multi-institution collaboration that included the Broad Institute, capped off nine years of research with a flurry of papers ...

Genetics created Jan 07, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The other fluoride: For millions with dry mouth, this cousin keeps decay at bay

Just 40 years ago, more than half of American kids had at least one untreated cavity. That statistic now stands at less than 25 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most kids today can ...

Dentistry created Mar 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Childhood vaccine schedule is safe, report says

(HealthDay)—The standard vaccine schedule for young children in the United States is safe and effective, a new review says.

Medications created Jan 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Diet change works swiftly in reducing risk

A study by Lynnette Ferguson, Professor of Nutrition at The University of Auckland, has shown that a change in diet can be effective in reducing inflammation over a period of just six weeks in healthy New Zealanders.

Health created Jan 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Researchers identify new enzyme that acts as innate immunity sensor

Two studies by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center could lead to new treatments for lupus and other autoimmune diseases and strengthen current therapies for viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections.

Medical research created Feb 15, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study reveals new clues to Epstein-Barr virus

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) affects more than 90 percent of the population worldwide and was the first human virus found to be associated with cancer. Now, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have broadened ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 21, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Newly approved oral medication slows rheumatoid arthritis joint damage

A Phase 3 clinical trial demonstrates that tofacitinib improves disease activity and inhibits progression of joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who did not respond to methotrexate (MTX). Results of the 12-month ...

Arthritis & Rheumatism created Jan 24, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0


Autoimmune diseases arise from an inappropriate immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the immune system mistakes some part of the body as a pathogen and attacks its own cells. This may be restricted to certain organs (e.g. in autoimmune thyroiditis) or involve a particular tissue in different places (e.g. Goodpasture's disease which may affect the basement membrane in both the lung and the kidney). The treatment of autoimmune diseases is typically with immunosuppression—medication which decreases the immune response.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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