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Glite Dictionary
autoimmunization

autoimmunization

8.6
A process that makes the immune system attack parts of the body, either by mistake or on purpose
  • noun
  • /ˌɔːtoʊˌɪmjunɪˈzeɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : autoimmunización
  • Autoimmunization can occur when the immune system mistakenly targets its own tissues, causing various health issues.

Examples

  • Due to autoimmunization, her joint pain worsened, indicating that her immune system was damaging its own tissues.

  • The pathogenesis of autoimmunization by blood transfusion in the other patients is obscure.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Research on autoimmunization helps scientists understand how to treat diseases where the body attacks its own tissues.

Synonyms

autoimmunity
vsautoimmunization
  • Specialized
2 7.3

The immune system attacks the body's own tissues

is the active process by which the immune system attacks body tissues sometimes deliberate

Surface Forms

autoimmunization singular
autoimmunizations plural

Morphology

autoimmunization = immunization (semi-transparent) = auto + immun + ization

The word is formed by adding auto- to immunization, but the specialized medical sense is not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Autoimmunization breaks into auto- meaning 'self', as in automatic, and immune meaning 'protected' or 'safe', like the body's defenses. That's why autoimmunization describes a process where the body's own immune system is made to attack or react to the body's own tissues, either naturally or on purpose.