(openPR) - "Although autoantibodies are a hallmark of autoimmune illnesses, they are also observed in other disease conditions and even in healthy individuals. By means of careful analysis of the intrinsic features of autoantibodies our group in Sao Paulo (Brazil) has disclosed several differences in the autoimmune humoral response observed in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases and in healthy individuals," Allessandra and colleagues report.

"Autoantibodies in healthy individuals occured in lower concentration and lower avidity as compared to those in patients with rheumatic diseases. Autoantibodies in healthy individuals tended to be represented mostly by a single immunoglobulin isotype while autoantibodies in patients with SARD tended to occur as two or three isotypes. Finally, patients with SARD targeted autoantigens that are not usually targeted by autoantibodies in healthy individuals and vice-versa.

However, disease-specific autoantibodies frequently antedate the clinical onset of the respective disease... The pieces of evidence suggest a possible model of autoimmunity continuum with a gradual shift in several features of the humoral autoimmune response spanning healthy individuals, individuals with disease-specific autoantibodies at the pre-clinical stages of autoimmunity, and patients with overt autoimmune diseases.

Understanding the immunological mechanisms underlying the modifications of the humoral autoimmune response across this spectrum may help the discovery of effective measures for the prevention and management of this class of diseases ..."


Karsten Conrad et al. (Eds.) From Prediction to Prevention of Autoimmune Diseases. Pabst, Lengerich/Berlin, 728 pages, ISBN 978-3-89967-735-5

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