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The Dual Relationship Between Thymectomy and Autoimmunity

The Kaleidoscope of Autoimmune Disease

  • Chapter
Autoimmune Reactions

Part of the book series: Contemporary Immunology ((CONTIM))

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Abstract

Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which the immune system damages the normal components of the individual. The etiology of autoimmune diseases is multifactorial and includes genetic, immune, hormonal and environmental factors (1), which are all combined to create the break in self-tolerance. Self-tolerance is normally maintained due to the balance between effector and suppressor T-cells (2). When this fragile equilibrium is distorted, either by activation of pathogenic effector T-cells, or by depletion of suppressor T-cells, the organism is prone to develop an autoimmune disease. The role of the thymus in these diseases is yet to be fully clarified, but this organ is widely accepted to be a major player in the maintenance of self-tolerance. Thus, on the one hand, the thymus helps prevent the development of autoimmunity, and on the other hand, it may participate in the initiation of autoimmune disease under certain conditions. Understanding the clinical and immunological response to thymectomy could shed light on the role of the thymus in autoimmune diseases. In this paper, we review the therapeutic as well as the pathogenic effects of thymectomy, which is intended to emphasize and clarify the pivotal role of the thymus in autoimmune diseases.

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Authors
  1. Yaniv Sherer
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  2. Yaron Bar-Dayan
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  3. Yehuda Shoenfeld
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Health Sciences Center, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX, USA

    Sudhir Paul

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Sherer, Y., Bar-Dayan, Y., Shoenfeld, Y. (1999). The Dual Relationship Between Thymectomy and Autoimmunity. In: Paul, S. (eds) Autoimmune Reactions. Contemporary Immunology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1610-0_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1610-0_23

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7215-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-1610-0

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