Autoimmune endocrine disease

Abstract

Endocrine cells may become targets for autoimmune processes resulting in cellular dysfunction and diseases which cause considerable morbidity. The thyroid follicular cells, the parietal cells of the gastric mucosa, the insulin-producing islet cells and the adrenal cortical cells are most often affected. This rank order may indicate a relationship between antigen mass and prevalence of disease in a given organ (15).