Autoimmune disease

Autoimmune diseases arise from an abnormal immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body.

Types of autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases can be localized, which means affecting only specific tissues or organs, or systematic, making affecting many tissues or organs.

Localized autoimmune disease

Examples include:

• Crohn's disease
• Type 1 diabetes
• Graves' disease, which is one of the most common causes of thyroiditis

Systemic autoimmune diseases

Examples include:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Scleroderma
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (Lupus)

Autoimmune hypothesis in ME and CFS

Autoimmune conditions in people with ME/CFS. Source: Sotzny et al (2018), EUROMENE project.

Many people with ME/CFS also have autoimmune conditions such as Fibromyalgia or Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or have a family history of autoimmune diseases. POTS, or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, can be initiated or maintained by autoantibodies as well, and POTS is common in people with ME. A number of different immune system abnormalities have been found in some patients with ME/CFS.

Main article: Autoimmune hypothesis

ME/CFS is being investigated to determine if it is caused by Autoimmunity in some patients.

Notable studies

• 2018, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Evidence for an autoimmune disease

See also

• Autoimmune hypothesis
• Innate immune system

Learn more

• Autoimmunity- British Society for Immunology

See myalgic encephalomyelitis.

See chronic fatigue syndrome.

An unusually rapid heart beat. Can be caused by exercise or illness. A symptom of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). (Learn more: www.heart.org)

tachycardia An unusually rapid heart beat. Can be caused by exercise or illness. A symptom of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). (Learn more: www.heart.org)

autoantibody An antibody that works against the body's own antigens, a hallmark of autoimmune diseases. Autoantibodies are the opposite of an antibodies.

See postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) - A form of orthostatic intolerance where the cardinal symptom is excessive tachycardia due to changing position (e.g. from lying down to sitting up).

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.