Autoimmune diseases are medical conditions in which your immune system fights with your body. This happens because your body's immune system, which is your defense system, sees certain parts of your body as foreign and harmful. In a real sense, this is not the case. Your immune system makes proteins known as “autoantibodies” that fight normal cells of your body.
The exact cause of autoimmune diseases is unknown, but they are more common in women than in men. Some autoimmune diseases can also run in families or common in certain ethnic groups. Some common examples of autoimmune diseases are psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Graves’ disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, pernicious anemia, celiac disease and so much more.