autoantibody
(ot″ō-ant′i-bod″ē )

[ auto- + antibody ]
ABBR: AAb An antibody, produced by B cells in response to an altered autoantigen on one type of the body's own cells, that attacks and destroys these cells. Autoantibodies are the basis for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes mellitus. Several theories exist about why autoantibodies are formed. The most common theory proposes that AAbs develop as the result of a combination of hereditary and environmental risk factors that cause an autoantigen to be falsely recognized as alien by B cells; as a result, antibodies are produced for its destruction.
SEE: antibody; SEE: antigen; SEE: autoimmune disease; SEE: autoimmunity; SEE: immunoglobulin
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Citation
Venes, Donald, editor. "Autoantibody." Taber's Medical Dictionary, 25th ed., F.A. Davis Company, 2025. Nursing Central, nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/760949/all/autoantibody.
Autoantibody. In: Venes DD, ed. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2025. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/760949/all/autoantibody. Accessed April 25, 2025.
Autoantibody. (2025). In Venes, D. (Ed.), Taber's Medical Dictionary (25th ed.). F.A. Davis Company. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/760949/all/autoantibody
Autoantibody [Internet]. In: Venes DD, editors. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2025. [cited 2025 April 25]. Available from: https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/760949/all/autoantibody.
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