Why Women Are More Prone to Autoimmune Diseases #

A research team at a prominent university may be close to uncovering why women are at a higher risk of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. The team at Stanford University suggests that the presence of an extra X chromosome in women may be a contributing factor. Autoimmune diseases involve an immune system that attacks the body’s cells and tissues. Although the research is in its early stages and involved experiments on mice, it could potentially lead to better diagnosis and treatment options for these conditions. Over 80 autoimmune diseases affect around 24 million people in the United States.