Autoimmune Diseases Share Genetic Patterns

Newswise — Different autoimmune diseases often share genetic risk factors, but not through a single common genetic vulnerability. In a new study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers from Karolinska Institutet and collaborating institutions show that autoimmune diseases instead form genetic clusters that largely reflect the tissues or organs they affect. Autoimmune diseases arise when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues. Researchers have long known that these diseases tend to run in families, but the genetic relationships between different autoimmune diseases have remained unclear. In the current study, the researchers analysed data from Swedish national registers. The material included more than 6.3 million individuals born between 1932 and 1983, including nearly 3.84 million sibling pairs. In total, 22 autoimmune diseases were studied over the period 1969 to 2013.