Autoantibodies and the risk of death.

The prevalence of many autoantibodies increases with age. There is much circumstantial evidence from cross-sectional studies and a limited amount of more straightforward evidence from longitudinal studies suggesting that these autoantibodies act as a risk factor for death. The effector mechanisms as well as the relationship to established risk factors are unknown and little information is available on the genetics of autoimmune seroreactions as distinct from autoimmune diseases.