autoimmune
adj.describing a condition where your body's defense system makes a mistake and attacks your own healthy cells. It is like your body's army fighting against itself instead of fighting germs.
adj.relating to a condition in which the immune system mistakenly identifies the body's own tissues as foreign antigens and attacks them. Often used to modify nouns like 'disease', 'disorder', or 'response'.
“Lupus is a common autoimmune disease.”
“The doctor ordered blood tests to check for an autoimmune reaction that might be causing the joint pain.”
“Research into autoimmune pathologies suggests that a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental triggers can cause the immune system to lose its ability to distinguish self from non-self.”
Typically used attributively before a noun; often paired with 'disease', 'disorder', or 'condition'.
Usage autoimmune diseases
“The discovery could eventually inform new approaches to treating autoimmune diseases, allergies and transplant rejection, where T cells can mistakenly attack healthy tissue.”
“But growing evidence suggests that when these dormant viruses become active again, they may play a role in autoimmune diseases and other long-lasting health conditions.”
Common in science writing
From auto- + immune.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.