The Nature of Autoimmune Diseases

There are innumerable theories proposed for the cause of autoimmune diseases. Repeatedly it is stated that it is multifactorial inheritance, i.e., polygenes and environment factors together are responsible. That is another way of saying that the cause is not known. None of the causes proposed so far can satisfy the basic requirement that the cause should always precede and be consistently present for the occurrence of a given disease. brbrA concept is presented here that there is no cause for autoimmune diseases. They are, in reality, an integral part of cell program. It is an established fact that the cell doubling capacity in vivo and in vitro is finite. What is proposed here is that on exhaustion of that capacity one of the preprogrammed alternatives for the cells is to alter their morphology of "identity as self " within the body in such a manner that invites immune system to react on them as foreign elements. This is the basis of all varied autoimmune diseases in the body which can be put together under one heading as autoimmune disease group in the same way as it is done for cancer or vascular diseases. This preprogrammed alteration in morphology can involve any cell system of body including those of immune system. This phenomenon is cell specific and hence can manifest as organ specific disease or system specific disease depending on the type of cell involved. This built-in program makes autoimmune disease group a time-governed intrinsic, senescent process. This concept accounts for all the common features of varied autoimmune diseases in the group of autoimmune disease.brbrThey are seen in the cellular systems in plant and animal kingdoms. In humankind, they are universal and democratic. They affect all the races and both sexes. Their incidence progressively increases with age. In a given population, the distribution, the incidence, and varied features of any given autoimmune disease follow normal distribution curves. Each normal distribution curve of any one characteristic of a given autoimmune disease is independent of their other characteristics and their normal distributions. This makes each autoimmune disease unique. The total incidence of autoimmune disease group remains fixed in a given population. The herd determines its random distribution at individual level. Therefore, one can predict total incidence of autoimmune disease group in a given population but at an individual level - who, when, where, what, why and how - can be predictable only in terms of probability. The features of its being chronic, acute exacerbation and/or constant deterioration can also be accounted by being a cellular built-in program.brbrAll the varied types of autoimmune diseases show these common features. These observations establish that they are an integral part of the biological trajectory and follow biological principles in their manifestations. The autoimmune disease group operates at bio-cosmic level displaying order in apparent chaos and making it a trans-science and trans-technique phenomenon.