A critical analysis of the current interpretation of immune diseases. Arguments for a more pathological classification.

Abstract

Based on the new acquisitions of knowledge on the immune network and on the regulating mechanisms of the immune system, the paper presents an original and at the same time a more pathophysiological classification of immune diseases according to: 1. the functionality stage (input--or antigen presentation, central--integrative, and output--effector), and 2. the immune ligand involved (immunoglobulin or Ti complex). From these new concepts it results that the main feature of the immune system reactivity is the antigen recognition. The authors bring arguments in favour of the assertion that immunity--characterized by recognition--is equal with autoimmunity--characterized by autorecognition, i.e., recognition of the self antigens. From this statement it ensues that: 1. an immune disease is a disease of internal regulation of the immune network, i.e., of the relationships between idiotypes and anti-idiotypes, and 2. any immune disease is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the pathogenetic significance of the so-called "autoimmune diseases" and of the "hypersensitivity diseases" is the same.