11.   Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system, which normally defends the body against infection, instead turns those defenses against its own cells and tissues.

12.   Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system malfunctions and attacks the body in the same way it fights invading bacteria and viruses.

13.   Autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, claim millions of new victims each year.

14.   Because she suffers from a combination of autoimmune diseases, she rarely leaves her house.

15.   Black said that further study is needed to determine whether other autoimmune diseases related to the production of tumor necrosis factor will respond to similar treatments.

16.   A hormone secreted deep within the brain may hold the key to why women suffer autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis far more often than men.

17.   All were raised from birth by mothers from the strain not affected by autoimmune disease.

18.   But autoimmune disease, infection, hormonal imbalance or hereditary conditions can cause the thyroid to malfunction.

19.   But the vast majority of recent scientific studies has found that the rate of autoimmune diseases in women with implants is about the same as for the general population.

20.   But whether the implants cause autoimmune diseases is greatly disputed by the company, a stance supported by several studies showing no link between silicone and systemic illness.