#lupus nephritis

A Closer Look at Lupus Nephritis

The immune system serves as the body's defense against foreign substances or microorganisms that enter the body. Under certain circumstances, however, the immune system may have difficulty recognizing and distinguishing invaders from human cells. Instead of combating foreign substances invading the human body, a weakened immune system might produce antibodies that assault the body's healthy cells, tissues, and organs. Autoimmune disease is the medical term for this disorder. Autoimmune disease is one of the global health problems with an unknown exact number of patients, but the number is projected to rise year after year. Data from the National Institute of Health in the United States (USA) reports that more than 20 million people in the US (or about 7 percent of the total population) have autoimmune diseases (https://www.gene.com/stories/autoimmune-disease- 101).