Autoimmunity

At some point in your life, you could have about a one in five chance of developing an autoimmune disease. The odds are greater if you are a woman, you have a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity, or you are exposed to certain pollutants. These diseases include more than 100 lifelong and costly illnesses such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. They are often difficult to diagnose and currently impossible to cure.The effects of autoimmune disease are devastating. As a person’s own…

Joint pain is a common lupus symptom, but the chronic condition can affect nearly every organ in the body. Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)Scientists in Germany may have demonstrated a new way to treat and possibly even cure the chronic condition lupus. In a study out Thursday, the team describes how patients given a form of immunotherapy currently used to treat certain cancers have experienced a sustained remission of their symptoms, along with the autoantibodies that trigger the illness. More data will be needed to…