. Allergopedia

Dictionary of Allergies .. Autoantibody

An antibody formed in response to, and reacting against, an antigenic constituent of the body's own tissue. The presence of autoantibodies can be demonstrated by immunofluorescent staining techniques-probably accounting for 99% of diagnostic tests in autoimmune disease-and by other methods such as immunoenzymatic light microscopy and electron microscopy.

Autoantibodies can be indirectly detected via serum autoantibodies or directly demonstrated in situ, either bound to the target organs or remote from the target e.g., as deposited immune complexes. The deposition of immune complexes is an important pathogenetic factor in systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease characterized by a plethora of antinuclear antibodies.. Immune complexes give rise to systemic tissue damage and can be visualised by fluorescent staining in the kidney and the skin.

Γκέλης Ν.Δ. - Λεξικό Αλλεργίας - Εκδόσεις ΒΕΛΛΕΡOΦΟΝΤΗΣ - Κόρινθος 2013

Gelis Ν.D. - Dictionary of Allergies - VELLEROFONTIS Publications - Corinth 2013