The obvious limitations of the reported studies are the lack of human data, with all that this entails (an analysis of different demographic characteristics and the various clinical stages of different autoimmune and non-autoimmune diseases); however, the potential applicability of AREG inhibition is increasingly being strengthened and could lead to AREG being considered for use as an indicator of the severity of diseases characterized by fibrotic evolution. Here, AREG is linked to autoimmune disease.