Systemic Autoimmune Diseases

摘要

Systemic autoimmune diseases are a broad range of related diseases characterized by dysregulation of immune system which give rise to activation of immune cells to attack autoantigens and resulted in inappropriate inflammation and multitissue damages. They are a fascinating but poorly understood group of diseases, ranging from the commonly seen rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythe-matosus (SLE) to the relatively rare systemic sclerosis [1]. The mechanism of pathogenesis of systemic autoimmune diseases is still not very clear. It is now considered that genetic factors, infection, endocrine, and environmental exposure are involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases [2-4]. There is no treatment strategy to cure this kind of disease at present which gives rise to the needs of long-term lasting treatment, making systemic autoimmune diseases be a mounting public health concern for the foreseeable future. Vital organs such as lung and kidney involvement in systemic autoimmune diseases are common and always presented in a progressive pattern with limited treatment strategy, making them be one of the most common causes of death in patients [5].