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
Abhik Biswas,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Researchers believe there's incredible potential in this approach to treating chronic infections, autoimmune disease and cancer, while also providing a novel therapy to prolong our health in older age.
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New Atlas,
2 July 2026
With Clifford and Gramatica, the organization is maintaining a primary focus on the fight against HIV/AIDS, but is also extending its scope of action to research on cancer, neurological diseases, and autoimmune disorders, among other illnesses.
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Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
29 June 2026
Patients might be women in their 30s with an autoimmune disease like lupus or people of any age exposed to such toxins as methamphetamines or, in the past, the fen-phen appetite suppressant drug of the 1990s, later withdrawn after being linked to heart disease.
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Elizabeth Cooney,
STAT,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for autoimmune
Cite this Entry
“Autoimmune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autoimmune. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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autoimmune
adjective
Medical Definition
autoimmune
adjective
