Sex hormones and autoimmune rheumatic disorders.

It has now been recognized that there are complex interactions between the gonadal endocrine and the immune systems. The action of sex hormones on the immune system has important physiological and pathological consequences. The preponderance in women of autoimmune diseases in humans and in experimental animals has a basis in sex hormones. Hypoandrogenic/hyperestrogenic states are thought to contribute to the disease process. This article presents evidence for the action of sex hormones in various experimental animal models of autoimmune diseases and discusses several mechanisms of sex hormone action on the immune system. These mechanisms remain complex and it is to be hoped that the recent advances in immunology, endocrinology, pharmacology, and molecular biology will enable the description and clarification of these mechanisms of action.