a condition in which the body’s immune system fails to recognize, and therefore rejects its own cells. Autoimmunity increases with age, when the immune system deteriorates. It is a primary factor in the development of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (called autoimmune disorders). Also known as autoallergy.
AUTOIMMUNITY: “A person suffering with autoimmunity may have pain resulting from the body’s own tissues attempting to destroy each other. “