Biomaterial Database

Immune mechanisms in rheumatic disease. 2000

M L Workman

College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0038, USA.

The pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases is complex and lacks clear-cut origins. This article describes the current theories and supporting evidence for the pathogenesis, mechanisms, and progression of rheumatic diseases. The roles of genetic inheritance and inflammatory/immune mediators are emphasized.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007107	Immune System	The body's defense mechanism against foreign organisms or substances and deviant native cells. It includes the humoral immune response and the cell-mediated response and consists of a complex of interrelated cellular, molecular, and genetic components.	Immune Systems,System, Immune,Systems, Immune
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001323	Autoantibodies	Antibodies that react with self-antigens (AUTOANTIGENS) of the organism that produced them.	Autoantibody
D012216	Rheumatic Diseases	Disorders of connective tissue, especially the joints and related structures, characterized by inflammation, degeneration, or metabolic derangement.	Rheumatism,Disease, Rheumatic,Diseases, Rheumatic,Rheumatic Disease
D016207	Cytokines	Non-antibody proteins secreted by inflammatory leukocytes and some non-leukocytic cells, that act as intercellular mediators. They differ from classical hormones in that they are produced by a number of tissue or cell types rather than by specialized glands. They generally act locally in a paracrine or autocrine rather than endocrine manner.	Cytokine