autoimmune
adj.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.
From auto- + immune.
Typically used attributively before a noun; often paired with 'disease', 'disorder', or 'condition'.