LAUSR

The overall frequency of all autoimmune diseases in the general population is estimated at 5–8 %. More importantly, there has been an alarming increase in incidence for autoimmune diseases in recent decades. All ages are affected with onset from childhood to late adulthood. Persons of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups are affected, although the impact of racial background varies in different autoimmune diseases. In respect of this and the growing interest in autoimmune diseases, the 10th International Congress on Autoimmunity was held in the historical and beautiful city, Leipzig, Germany, on April 2016. This meeting as all previous ones was organized by Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld and was attended by almost 1000 participants from all over the world. Aspects of autoimmune and auto-inflammatory diseases were discussed, and fruitful collaborations between scientists were initiated. In this special issue of Immunological Research, we chose to report on some of the developments in diagnostic issues and biomarkers in the field of autoimmune diseases. In addition, many sessions were dedicated to mechanisms and therapeutic aspects of autoimmune diseases.