The etiology of autoimmune diseases: the case of myasthenia gravis.

Autoimmune diseases comprise a wide variety of disorders, from those that are acute and spontaneously regressive to chronic diseases. Their occurrence is the sign of a loss of tolerance to self-antigens. With few exceptions, the etiology of autoimmune diseases has not been clearly established. In all cases, it is complex, involving genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. In this article I will attempt to analyze the various factors that have a triggering or protecting role, with particular reference to myasthenia gravis.