autoimmune disease

/ˈɔdoʊəˌmjun dəˌziz/

/ɔtəʊɪˈmjun dɪˈziz/

Other forms: autoimmune diseases

Definitions of autoimmune disease

1. noun

   any of a large group of diseases characterized by abnormal functioning of the immune system that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues
   synonyms: autoimmune disorder

   types:

   myasthenia, myasthenia gravis

   a chronic progressive disease characterized by chronic fatigue and muscular weakness (especially in the face and neck); caused by a deficiency of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junctions

   MS, disseminated multiple sclerosis, disseminated sclerosis, multiple sclerosis

   a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers

   IDDM, autoimmune diabetes, growth-onset diabetes, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, juvenile diabetes, juvenile-onset diabetes, ketoacidosis-prone diabetes, ketosis-prone diabetes, type I diabetes

   severe diabetes mellitus with an early onset; characterized by polyuria and excessive thirst and increased appetite and weight loss and episodic ketoacidosis; diet and insulin injections are required to control the disease

   Graves' disease, exophthalmic goiter

   exophthalmos occurring in association with goiter; hyperthyroidism with protrusion of the eyeballs

   atrophic arthritis, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis

   a chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint

   Marie-Strumpell disease, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid spondylitis

   a chronic form of spondylitis primarily in males and marked by impaired mobility of the spine; sometimes leads to ankylosis

   DLE, discoid lupus erythematosus

   a chronic skin disease occurring primarily in women between the ages of 20 and 40; characterized by an eruption of red lesions over the cheeks and bridge of the nose

   Hashimoto's disease

   autoimmune disorder of the thyroid gland; most common in middle-aged women

   LE, lupus erythematosus

   a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

   pemphigus

   a skin disease characterized by large thin-walled blisters (bullae) arising from normal skin or mucous membrane

   dermatosclerosis, scleroderma

   an autoimmune disease that affects the blood vessels and connective tissue; fibrous connective tissue is deposited in the skin

   Werlhof's disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, purpura hemorrhagica, thrombocytopenic purpura

   purpura associated with a reduction in circulating blood platelets which can result from a variety of factors

   psoriatic arthritis

   a form of rheumatoid arthritis usually affecting fingers and toes and associated with psoriasis

   Still's disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

   a form of rheumatoid arthritis that affects children; large joints become inflamed and bone growth may be retarded

   morphea

   localized scleroderma

   type of:

   disease

   an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning