Autoimmune Disease Management and Treatment-Induced Complications
Summary
Autoimmune diseases arise from aberrant immune responses against self-antigens, leading to chronic inflammation and tissue damage. Management strategies encompass immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies designed to restore immune tolerance and prevent organ injury. The advent of targeted agents—including monoclonal antibodies against lymphocyte subsets, cytokine inhibitors and small molecules—has markedly improved disease control. However, these interventions may provoke treatment-induced complications such as hepatotoxicity, gastrointestinal inflammation, secondary autoimmunity and opportunistic infections. Personalised selection of therapies, informed by genetic susceptibility and comorbid profiles, is essential to optimise benefit–risk balance. Emerging biomarkers enable earlier detection of subclinical toxicity, while mechanistic insights into overlapping pathogenic pathways support integrated regimens that address both primary disease activity and potential adverse effects. Such an integrative approach holds global significance for reducing morbidity and improving long-term quality of life in affected individuals.
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Autoimmune Disease Management and Treatment-Induced Complications publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in autoimmune disease management and treatment-induced complications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Disease-modifying therapy (DMT): An immunomodulatory agent that alters the natural history of an autoimmune disease by targeting specific pathogenic pathways rather than merely relieving symptoms.
Drug-induced liver injury (DILI): Hepatic dysfunction resulting from direct or immune-mediated toxic effects of pharmacological treatments.
Anti-CD20 therapy: Treatment using monoclonal antibodies directed at the CD20 antigen on B lymphocytes, leading to their reduction and modulation of the autoimmune response.
Immune homeostasis: The balanced state of immune regulation in which tolerance to self-antigens is maintained while retaining the capacity to respond to pathogens.
References
- Treatment of autoimmunity: The impact of disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis and comorbid autoimmune disorders. Autoimmunity Reviews (2023).
- Hepatotoxicity of Drugs Used in Multiple Sclerosis, Diagnostic Challenge, and the Role of HLA Genotype Susceptibility. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Impact of Anti-CD20 therapies on the immune homeostasis of gastrointestinal mucosa and their relationship with de novo intestinal bowel disease in multiple sclerosis: a review. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2023).
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