In autoimmune diseases, the immune system turns against the body through pathogenic high-affinity B cells or T cells, leading to severe organ damage. Multiple sclerosis (nervous system paralysis), type 1 diabetes (a strong risk factor for atherosclerosis requiring lifelong treatment) and rheumatoid arthritis (debilitating, excruciating joint deformities) are examples of clinically important autoimmune diseases.

Despite decades of international research efforts, no such defining criteria have been documented for atherosclerosis. Research by an international consortium—led by Professor Andreas Habenicht at LMU University Hospital and Professor Changjun Yin at Sun-Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China—now reports in Nature Cardiovascular Research that, according to its findings, atherosclerosis satisfies crucial defining criteria of an autoimmune disease.