Autoimmune diseases

 Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases are conditions that result from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present within the body. The immune system mistakenly identifies a part of the body as a pathogen and attacks it. This may be restricted to certain organs or involve a particular tissue in different places.

 

How is autoimmune disease treated?

• The treatment of autoimmune diseases is typically with immunosuppression—a medication which decreases the immune response. 3. SYMPTOMS The symptoms of autoimmune disease vary depending on the disease as well as the person's immune system.

·        Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response that attacks the body's own tissues and organs. Common symptoms include fatigue, joint/muscle pain, and organ dysfunction. There are two main types - organ-specific diseases that target a single organ, like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and systemic diseases like lupus that can affect multiple body systems. Treatment focuses on immunosuppression to reduce the immune response and prevent further damage.

Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which the immune system mistakenly damages healthy cells in your body. Types include rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and some thyroid conditions.

Your immune system has the job of protecting you from diseases and infections. When it senses these germs, it creates new cells to target foreign cells.

Usually, your immune system can tell the difference between foreign cells and your cells.

However, if you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system mistakes parts of your body, such as your joints or skin, as foreign. It releases proteins called autoantibodies that attack healthy cells.

Below, we provide an overview of some of the most common autoimmune diseases.

What can cause autoimmune disease?

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes the immune system to misfire. Yet some people are more likely to get an autoimmune disease than others.

Some factors that increase your risk of developing an autoimmune disease include:

• Your sex: People assigned female at birth between the ages of 15 and 44 are more likely to get an autoimmune disease than people assigned male at birth.
• Your family history: You may be more likely to develop autoimmune diseases due to inherited genes, though environmental factors may also contribute.
• Environmental factors: Exposure to sunlight, mercury, chemicals like solvents or those used in agriculture, cigarette smoke, or certain bacterial and viral infections may increase your risk of autoimmune disease.
• Ethnicity: Some autoimmune diseases are more common in people in certain groups. For example, White people from Europe and the United States may be more likely to develop autoimmune muscle disease, while lupus tends to occur more in people who are African American, Hispanic, or Latino.
• Nutrition: Your diet and nutrients may impact the risk and severity of autoimmune disease.
• Other health conditions: Certain health conditions, including obesity and other autoimmune diseases, may make you more likely to develop an autoimmune disease
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• What are the common symptoms of an autoimmune disease?

Different autoimmune diseases may have similar early symptoms. These can include:

• fatigue
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• low-grade fever
• muscle aches
• swelling
• trouble concentrating
• numbness and tingling in your hands and feet
• hair loss
• skin rash

With some autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis (RA), symptoms may come and go. A period of symptoms is called a flare-up, and a period when the symptoms go away is called remission.

Individual autoimmune diseases can also have their own unique symptoms depending on the body systems affected. For example, with type 1 diabetes, you may experience extreme thirst and weight loss. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may cause bloating and diarrhoea.

What are the most common autoimmune diseases?

Researchers have identified more than 100 autoimmune diseases. Here are 10 more common ones.

1. Type 1 diabetes

Your pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in your pancreas.

High blood sugar from type 1 diabetes can damage the blood vessels and organs.

2. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

In RA, your immune system attacks the joints, which can lead to swelling and stiffness in these areas.

While RA more commonly affects people as they get older, it can also start as early as your 30s. A related condition, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, can start in childhood.

3. Psoriatic arthritis

Skin cells grow and then shed when they’re no longer needed. Psoriasis causes skin cells to multiply too quickly. The extra cells build up and form inflamed patches. On lighter skin tones, patches may appear red with silver-white scales of plaque. On darker skin tones, psoriasis may appear purplish or dark brown with grey scales.

Up to 30% of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis.

4. Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) damages the protective coating surrounding nerve cells (myelin sheath) in your central nervous system. Damage to the myelin sheath slows the transmission speed of messages between your brain and spinal cord to and from the rest of your body.

Different forms of MS progress at different rates. Difficulties with walking are one of the most common mobility issues with MS.

5. Inflammatory bowel disease

IBD describes conditions that cause inflammation in the lining of the intestinal wall. Each type of IBD affects a different part of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

There are 2 types:

• Crohn’s disease can inflame any part of your GI tract, from the mouth to the anus.
• Ulcerative colitis affects the lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum.

6. Graves’ disease

Graves’ disease attacks the thyroid gland in your neck, causing it to produce too much of its hormones. Thyroid hormones control the body’s energy usage, known as metabolism.

Having too much of these hormones revs up your body’s activities, causing symptoms like rapid heart rate and unintentional weight loss.

Some people with Graves’ disease may also experience symptoms affecting the skin (Graves’ dermopathy) or eyes (Graves’ ophthalmopathy).

7. Sjögren disease

This condition attacks the glands that provide lubrication to your eyes and mouth.

The hallmark symptoms of Sjögren disease are dry eyes and dry mouth, but it may also affect your joints or skin.

8. Myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis affects nerve impulses that help the brain control muscles. When the communication from nerves to muscles is impaired, signals can’t direct the muscles to contract.

The most common symptom is muscle weakness. It may worsen with activity and improve with rest.

9. Celiac disease

People with celiac disease can’t eat foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and other grain products. When gluten is in the small intestine, the immune system attacks this part of the GI tract and causes inflammation.

People with celiac disease may experience digestive issues after consuming gluten.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, celiac disease affects about 1% of the global population.

10. Pernicious anaemia

Pernicious anaemia may happen when an autoimmune disorder causes your body to not produce enough of a substance called intrinsic factor. Having a deficiency in this substance reduces the amount of vitamin B12 your small intestine absorbs from food. It can cause a low red blood cell count.

Without enough of this vitamin, you may develop anaemia, and your body’s ability to properly replicate DNA may be altered.

This rare autoimmune disease typically occurs in people aged 60 to 70 years old and older.

Frequently asked questions about autoimmune diseases

Can an autoimmune disease be cured?

Generally speaking, autoimmune disorders cannot be cured. They can, however, be controlled with medications and other treatments.

Researchers are continuing to look for a cure, so the answer to this question may change in the coming years.

What is the average life expectancy of someone with an autoimmune disease?

There are over 80 different types of autoimmune disorders, and most are not fatal. People can expect to live full lives with no shortening of typical life expectancy.

What are 5 common symptoms of an autoimmune disorder?

Some autoimmune disorders can have similar symptoms at early stages. These can include fatigue, dizziness or lightheadedness, low-grade fever, muscle aches, and swelling.

What is the most serious autoimmune disease?

Many researchers recognise giant cell myocarditis, a rare autoimmune condition that can lead to heart failure, as one of the most serious autoimmune diseases. It has a 1-year mortality rate of 70%.

What are the most common autoimmune disorders?

The most common autoimmune diseases are psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, connective tissue diseases, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune thyroid diseases such as Hashimoto’s,  celiac disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Takeaway

The symptoms of autoimmune diseases often overlap, complicating diagnoses.

Blood tests that look for autoantibodies can help doctors diagnose these conditions. Treatments include medications to calm the overactive immune response and bring down inflammation in the body.