The Autoimmune Tautology: From Polyautoimmunity and Familial Autoimmunity to the Autoimmune Genes
1Center for Autoimmune Diseases Research (CREA), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of El Rosario, Carrera 24 no. 63C-69, Bogota 111221, Colombia
2Systemic Autoimmune Diseases Research Unit, Hospital General Regional No. 36, IMSS, Puebla, PB, Mexico; Departamento de Reumatología, Facultad de Medicina, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, PB, Mexico
The Autoimmune Tautology: From Polyautoimmunity and Familial Autoimmunity to the Autoimmune Genes
Description
Autoimmune diseases are chronic conditions initiated by the loss of immunological tolerance to self-antigens and represent a heterogeneous group of disorders that afflict specific target organs or multiple organ systems. The chronic nature of these diseases places a significant burden on the utilization of medical care, direct and indirect economic costs, and quality of life. A significant number of autoimmune disorders are more prevalent in women than men and are among the leading causes of disability for this group of patients.
The fact that autoimmune diseases share several clinical signs and symptoms, physiopathologic mechanisms, and genetic factors has been called autoimmune tautology and indicates that they have a common origin. The multifactorial origin and diversity of expression of autoimmune diseases is referred to the mosaic of autoimmunity. These terms imply that different combinations of the many factors involved in autoimmunity produce varying and unique clinical pictures that represent the wide spectrum of autoimmune diseases.
We invite investigators to submit original research as well review articles that will support and contribute to understand the fact of common origin for autoimmune diseases. We are interested particularly in articles describing similar immunogenetic mechanism, clinical, and physiopathologic evidence of autoimmune diseases demonstrating the autoimmune tautology. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Why autoimmune diseases affect women more than men
- Shared pathophysiology in autoimmune diseases
- Shared subphenotypes among systemic autoimmune diseases
- How does age at onset influence the outcome of autoimmune diseases?
- Shared environmental factors in autoimmune diseases
- The effect of ancestry in autoimmune diseases
- Common autoimmunity genes
- Polyautoimmunity
- Familial autoimmunity
- Pharmacological agents (biologic and nonbiologic) useful in treating diverse autoimmune diseases
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