Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune disease is a condition in which the immune system, which normally protects the body from infection and other threats, mistakenly attacks the body’s own healthy cells, tissues, or organs. Autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes. Many involve chronic inflammation and can affect one or multiple parts of the body. Autoimmune diseases occur at higher rates among people with some serious mental illnesses (SMIs), including bipolar disorder, though researchers have not established whether this reflects shared immune or inflammatory processes, other factors, or both.