摘要
In recent decades,an enormous effort has been made to elucidate the pathogenesis of autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases.Autoimmunity is a multifactorial process in which genetic,immunological,environmental and hormonal factors play in concert,together representing what was termed years ago the‘mosaic of autoimmunity’.To date,more than 80 systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases have been defined,and their cumulative burden is substantial,both medically and financially.Furthermore,the burden of autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases is rising,making these diseases a ubiquitous global phenomenon that is predicted to further increase in the coming decades.In this issue of the journal,additional aspects of autoimmunity are detailed.Immune dysregulation and loss of self-tolerance are the cornerstones of autoimmunity.
