Abstract: The major spectrum of autoimmune diseases includes systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), etc. The exact etiology and pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases are still not fully elucidated, and the prevalence of autoimmune diseases are increasing in the recent years, greatly influencing the patient's labor and life quality, consuming a large amount of health resources and becoming an important public health problem. In the field of public health and preventive medicine, there are disproportionate attention to the tumor, diabetes and digestive diseases, whereas the studies on major autoimmune diseases are very limited. Therefore, prospective studies on autoimmune diseases should be carried out to elucidate the risk factors, assess the risk and promote the accurate prevention of diseases. The discovery of disease-causing genes, early warning and early diagnosis have become urgent problems for the prevention and control of autoimmune diseases. This article will provide a brief overview of the advance in epidemiological studies on two types of major autoimmune diseases, SLE and RA.