Purpose and Overview

While individual autoimmune diseases are relatively rare, as a group they affect approximately 8% of the US population with considerable morbidity and mortality. Decades of research on the causes and natural history of autoimmune diseases has led to the concept that they progress in defined 'stages' that can be used to identify individuals who should be monitored for development of early signs of organ or tissue damage. At that stage, it may be possible to intervene to slow or even prevent overt disease. This has been shown for Type 1 Diabetes and strides are being made in other conditions. This lecture will discuss the requirements to identify individuals at early stages of autoimmunity and the progress made in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.