Autoimmune Disease & Immunity

Autoimmune Disease & Immunity: Autoimmunity is when your body’s cells attack friendly cells that shouldn’t be attacked. Your body is failing to recognize it’s own cells properly and identifies them as “intruders” that must be destroyed. To some degree, immune systems appear in every complex life form. In order for the immune system to function properly, though, it needs to be able to know which cells to destroy and which to let live.

One of the main components of the immune system in humans is the antibody. Antibodies are very specialized cell-killers; each antibody has but one purpose — to mark a single type of intruder to be killed by another white blood cell. For example, when you get a cold, your body produces antibodies which are specialized to kill only the bacteria that cause that cold. You would probably never get sick again from that same cold because now your body has defenders against it. However, once the bacteria that caused your cold mutates into a new disease, your old antibodies aren’t programmed to kill the new disease — and are therefore useless. For Answers to any questions you may have about autoimmune disease & immunity please call Dr. Jimenez at 915-850-0900