Which disease results from the immune system attacking the body's healthy tissues?

An autoimmune disease is characterized by the immune system mistakenly identifying the body’s own healthy tissues as foreign and attacking them. This misdirected immune response can lead to inflammation and damage to various organs and systems within the body. Some common examples of autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis.

In contrast, communicable diseases are caused by infectious agents and can spread from person to person, whereas neurological disorders are conditions that affect the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord, but do not involve immune system dysfunction in the way autoimmune diseases do. Endocrine disorders pertain to issues with hormone-producing glands and do not primarily involve immune system activity. Hence, autoimmune disease is the correct choice, as it directly aligns with the description of the immune system attacking the body’s own tissues.