Autoimmune diseases are chronic degenerative and/or inflammatory conditions that result from abnormal immune reactions to compounds absorbed from the environment. Autoimmune diseases are typically considered as connective tissue diseases.

 

The normally defensive action of the immune system becomes destructive, whereby healthy body tissues are damaged by the immune defense mechanisms. Symptoms of autoimmune diseases are specific to the particular type of autoimmune disease; however, typically tissue damage and inflammation are always present.

Included or related conditions include:
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
• Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)
• Scleroderma
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN)
• Thromboangitis obliterans (Buerger’s disease)
• Behcet’s syndrome
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Grave’s disease
• Insulin resistance
• Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)
• Polymyositis
• Dermatomyositis
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Vitiligo
• Pemphigus
• Vasculitis, etc.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

 

Some other possibly autoimmune-related conditions include primary biliary cirrhosis, chronic active hepatitis, urticaria, asthma, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, interstitial cystitis, some cases of infertility, glomerulonephritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc.