autoimmune
adjective
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Any healthy body produces a variety of antibodies, proteins in the blood whose job is to protect the body from unwanted bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. The cells and organs that deal with such infections make up the immune system. In some people and animals, for various reasons, the antibodies become overactive and turn on the body's healthy tissues as well; the result is an autoimmune disease—an immune response directed against one's own self. More than eighty autoimmune diseases have been identified, the best-known being type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Examples of autoimmune in a Sentence
Leon Imber, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Insulin resistance has nothing to do with Type 1 diabetes, the kind caused by a dysfunctional pancreas gland that likely has been destroyed early in life by an autoimmune disease.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 10 July 2025
It should be avoided in those with liver problems, autoimmune disease, and thyroid disorders.11 Ashwagandha may interact with the following medications:11
Korean red ginseng or Panax ginseng has been used in traditional Chinese Medicine as an adaptogen and a calming agent.
—Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 10 July 2025
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic, life-long autoimmune condition that prevents the pancreas from making insulin to regulate blood sugar.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for autoimmune
Cite this Entry
“Autoimmune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autoimmune. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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autoimmune
adjective
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autoimmune
adjective
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