*Autoimmune Diseases of the GI Tract Part I: Etiology and Pathophysiology DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106184*

knowledge of the pathophysiology of autoinflammatory and ADs [15, 16]. Thorough investigations associated with convincing pathophysiological hypotheses in model diseases from any extremity of the continuum reveal the intimate relationship between the mechanisms of innate and adaptive systems [17]. Advanced modern approaches including molecular imaging technologies, genome-wide association studies, and the characterization of tissue-associated factors in some diseases supported the idea of the interplay between innate and adaptive immune mechanisms in specific ADs [9, 13]. Eventually, these techniques also helped in the verification of the continuum model that was suggested by McGonagle and co-workers.
