Autoimmunity

Autoimmunity is the condition in which the immune system fails to recognise self and reacts against the body’s own cells and tissues.

Autoimmune response is an immune reaction in which antibodies or immune cells are produced against the body’s own antigens.

Autoimmune disease is a pathological condition caused due to autoimmunity, where self-tissues are damaged or destroyed by the immune system.

Autoimmunity is the condition in which the immune system fails to recognise the self and reacts against the body’s own cells and tissues. It is a state in which the body loses the ability to distinguish between self and non-self cells.

As a result, the immune system goes off track and starts destroying self-cells and molecules.

Autoimmune Response:

• Autoimmune response is an immune reaction in which antibodies or immune cells are produced against the body’s own antigens.
• This means the body's protective system begins to act against self-antigens rather than only against harmful foreign agents.

Autoimmune Disease:

• Autoimmune disease is a pathological condition caused by autoimmunity, where self-tissues are damaged or destroyed by the immune system.
• It develops when the immune response turns against the self, causing injury to body tissues.

• If red blood cells are attacked, the body destroys its own RBCs, resulting in chronic anaemia.
• If muscle cells are attacked, muscle destruction occurs, causing myasthenia gravis.
• If the immune response targets the thyroid, it causes Hashimoto’s disease, with destruction of the thyroid and the development of myxoedema.
• Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease and is a common example.
• Addison’s disease is also included as an example of an autoimmune disease.

• Autoimmunity is a condition where the immune system loses its ability to distinguish between "self" and "non-self" cells, mistakenly targeting the body's own tissues.
• An autoimmune response is a specific abnormal reaction in which the body actively produces antibodies or immune cells directed against its own self-antigens.
• Autoimmune disease is the resulting pathological condition where this misdirected immune response causes actual physical damage and destruction to self-tissues.
• Common examples include Rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s disease (targeting the thyroid), myasthenia gravis (targeting muscles), Addison’s disease, and chronic anaemia (targeting red blood cells).