Autoimmune Disease: A body at war with itself
Fox News
Autoimmune conditions result when the body attacks itself
Health experts told Fox that the immune system is supposed to protect the body against invading pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria, by producing antibodies or white blood cells called lymphocytes. In a healthy individual, the immune response is not triggered to fight its own cells or tissues in the body. Under certain conditions, however, immune cells may mistakenly attack the actual cells that they are supposed to protect. Ordinarily, these lymphocytes are suppressed but when they are not, this can lead to various types of autoimmune conditions, health experts explained to Fox News.
According to the Autoimmune Association, an autoimmune disorder can also occur when there is an alteration in a body’s tissue where the immune system no longer perceives that tissue as "self" and then it becomes the target for an attack.
The association says that it is not yet known what mechanisms caused the change to trigger the attack, but said viruses, toxins, bacteria, and some drugs may play a role in triggering an autoimmune response in someone who is genetically predisposed to develop this condition.