An antibody produced by a person's own immune system that mistakenly attacks their own body cells instead of germs.
From 'auto-' (self) and 'antibody' (a protein that fights disease). This medical term became common as autoimmune diseases were identified in the 20th century.
Autoantibodies are like friendly fire in your body—your immune system makes weapons designed to destroy bacteria, but they accidentally target your own cells, which is what happens in diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Autoimmune conditions are diagnosed and studied with gender bias. Women are overdiagnosed with autoimmune disorders while men's symptoms are often taken more seriously, leading to skewed prevalence data.
Use clinically; recognize that autoimmune disease prevalence is underestimated in men due to diagnostic bias and attribution to other causes.
Women with autoimmune conditions have historically been dismissedas psychosomatic or hypochondriac. Greater awareness of gender bias in diagnosis is improving recognition.
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