autoimmune
adjective
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Any healthy body produces a variety of antibodies, proteins in the blood whose job is to protect the body from unwanted bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. The cells and organs that deal with such infections make up the immune system. In some people and animals, for various reasons, the antibodies become overactive and turn on the body's healthy tissues as well; the result is an autoimmune disease—an immune response directed against one's own self. More than eighty autoimmune diseases have been identified, the best-known being type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Examples of autoimmune in a Sentence
Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2025
Recognizing the Symptoms Granulomatous mastitis is a chronic, unpredictable breast inflammation with flare-ups similar to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or inflammatory thyroid disorders.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Notably, Merrill was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis during the development of Good Culture in 2014, which is an autoimmune gut disease caused by chronic inflammation.
—Emma Sandler, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
His father made tools and his mother was a nurse who developed a rare autoimmune condition when her son was 11 that led to her limbs being amputated.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Autoimmune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autoimmune. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
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autoimmune
adjective
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autoimmune
adjective
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