Autoimmune diseases in patients and animal models are reviewed from the standpoint of immunoregulatory defects which predispose to autoimmunity. New information is provided about autoantibodies which indicates, on the basis of idiotypic cross-reactivity, that they may be closer to normal antibodies than previously thought. The importance of estrogens as a predisposing factor and androgens as a protective factor is discussed in relation to modulation of immune response by sex hormones. Similarities between autoimmune diseases and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are presented and new therapeutic approaches are discussed.
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