[Hypersensitive reactions and their significance in human pathology. Autoimmune diseases]

In the light of current concepts on cell interactions in hypersensitivity reactions of the cell-mediated and humoral type the author analyses morphological manifestations of these reactions, the possibility of change of one type of the reaction by the other in the course of immunopathological process, and the importance of hypersensitivity reactions in the development of many human diseases. According to the Sell's scheme, six groups of such diseases differing from each other by the pattern of the immunopathological mechanisms underlying them are considered. The importance of pathological investigations which would reveal characteristic local morphological manifestations in the forms of various types of immune inflammation and changes in the organs of the immunocompetent system of the lymphoid tissue, which could be used for judgement of the pattern and essence of the immunopathological process, is emphasized.