The primary lesion theory of autoimmunity: a speculative hypothesis
Abstract
Autoaggression and autoimmune attack are established vernacular in the literature of autoimmune disease, and reflect the popular view that autoimmunity is a disease of immune dysregulation in which the immune system inappropriately attacks healthy tissues. The aim of this article is to focus attention on an alternative, indeed opposite, view--that autoimmunity represents the response to a primary lesion in the target tissue, rather than its cause, and that like alloimmunity, autoimmunity is physiological appropriate and protective. The cell death and tissue damage which results is characteristic of an immune response programmed to eliminate immunogen, remove detritus and isolate the lesion.
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Hyper-activation of the immune system to the target tissue may be a consequent event initiated by local initiators in non-immune target tissue in a manner dependent on genetic and/or environmental factors.
“Instead, hyper-activation of the immune system to the target tissue may be a consequent event that is initiated by local initiators in non-immune target tissue in a manner dependent on genetic and/or environmental factors (1, 47, 48, 50).”
From IL-6 in inflammation, autoimmunity and cancer (2021) · cites this paper as [48]
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Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) as a model for multiple sclerosis (MS)
Constantinescu, C. S., Farooqi, N., O'Brien, K., & Gran, B. (2011) · British Journal of Pharmacology · doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01302.x · Cited by 1,523 · see citing works
IL-6 in inflammation, autoimmunity and cancer
Hirano, T. (2021) · International Immunology · doi:10.1093/intimm/dxaa078 · Cited by 1,453 · see citing works
“A similar hypothesis was proposed for local lesions triggering these interactions rather than the breakdown of tissue-specific immune tolerance (47, 48).”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
- Authors
- Wilkin, T. J.
- Affiliations
- Southampton General Hospital (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Wilkin, T. J.
- Venue
- Autoimmunity
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 1990-01
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 225-235
- ISSN
- 0891-6934 (ISSN-L)
- 1607-842X
- OpenAlex
- W2049956108
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Autoimmunity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › T-cell and B-cell Immunology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune Response and Inflammation
- Keywords
- autoaggression, immune dysregulation, tissue damage, cell death, alloimmunity, protective immune response
- MeSH terms
- Autoimmune Diseases, Humans, Immune Tolerance, Major Histocompatibility Complex, Autoimmunity
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