Rheumatoid arthritis: immune surveillance gone wild?

摘要

IMMUNE-MEDIATED inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are a classification of disorders that are caused by abnormal immune function and dysre-gulation of cytokine pathways that result in systemic disease (Table 1). Although the presenting symptoms of IMIDs can be diverse, they have common characteristics, including a genetic link with an increased incidence in susceptible families, similar environmental triggers, and the activation of pathways and the release of chemical mediators that lead to chronic inflammation.