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| Characteristic | Comment |
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| Female predominance | The more frequent the AD and the later it appears, the more women are affected. |
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| Similar pathophysiology | Damage induced by T or B cells, or both, plays a major pathogenic role in ADs. Although the autoimmune phenotype varies depending on the target cell and the affected organ, the local mechanisms for tissue injury are similar. |
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| Shared subphenotypes | Mathematical approaches for precisely defining subphenotypes based on accurate clinical and immunological databases, combined with strengthening molecular genetics analyses, have significant promise for a better understanding of ADs. |
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| Age at onset influences severity | Early age at onset is a poor prognostic factor for some ADs. |
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| Similar environmental factors | Although a latitudinal gradient of infectious agents exists, Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus are notorious as they are consistently associated with multiple ADs. Some infections could be protective against ADs development. Smoking has also been consistently associated with several ADs. |
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| Ancestry influences clinical presentation | Amerindian ancestry influences the risk of acquiring ADs as well as its severity. |
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| Common genetic factors | The genetic risk factors for ADs consist of two forms: those common to many ADs and those specific to a given disorder. Combinations of common and disease-specific alleles at HLA and non-HLA genes in interaction with epigenetic and environmental factors over time will determine the final phenotype. |
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| Polyautoimmunity | Factors significantly associated with polyautoimmunity are female gender and familial autoimmunity. |
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| Familial autoimmunity | Unlike familial AD, which corresponds to the presence of one specific AD in various members of a nuclear family, familial autoimmunity uses the term “autoimmune disease” as a trait that encompasses all accepted pathologies for which evidence suggests an autoimmune origin. |
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| Similar treatment | Similar biological and nonbiological therapies are used to treat diverse ADs. |
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