Autoimmune diseases are routinely diagnosed through detection of the presence of autoantibodies, antibodies that attack the host or "self."

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE BASICS

Autoimmune diseases are:

• Specific adaptive immune response against self
• Both humoral and cellular responses
• Triggered by environmental and genetic factors
• Associated with HLA genotype
• Age- and sex-related
• Non-curable chronic diseases with a spectrum of activity
• Characterized by exacerbation and remission of disease activity
• Autoimmune diseases overlap: No diagnosis can be made without consideration of the patients clinical presentation.

Autoantibodies are:

• Usually produced as a result of a polyclonal response
• Antigen specific
• Usually found in disease related groups
  

Autoantibodies can be:

• Of any isotype or sub-class
• Organ specific or non-organ specific