What are the Common Autoimmune Diseases?

There are common autoimmune diseases that may interfere with your quality of life. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body. The immune system guards against bacteria, viruses, and other free radicals. When it senses these foreign invaders, it sends out an army of fighter cells to attack them.

Normally, the immune system can tell the difference between foreign cells and your own cells. In an autoimmune disease, the immune system mistakes parts of your body, like your joints or skin, as foreign. Some autoimmune diseases target only one organ.

Symptoms of Autoimmune Disease

• Fatigue
• Abdominal pain or digestive issues
• Recurring fever
• Joint pain and swelling
• Skin problems
• Hair loss
• Swollen glands

The Common Autoimmune Disease

• Type 1 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes mellitus, the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. High blood sugar results can lead to damage to the blood vessels and organs.
• Rheumatoid arthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system attacks the joints. This attack causes redness, warmth, soreness, and stiffness in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can start as early as your 30s or sooner.
• Psoriatic arthritis. Psoriasis causes skin cells to multiply too quickly. The extra cells build up and form inflamed red patches, commonly with silver-white scales of plaque on the skin. Up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop swelling, stiffness, and pain in their joints.
• Multiple sclerosis. It damages the myelin sheath, the protective coating that surrounds nerve cells, 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. It causes numbness, weakness, balance issues, and trouble walking.
• Systemic lupus erythematosus. It affects many organs, including the joints, kidneys, brain, and heart. Joint pain, fatigue, and rashes are among the most common symptoms.
• Inflammatory bowel disease. It causes inflammation in the lining of the intestinal wall and affects a different part of the gastrointestinal tract. Ulcerative colitis and Chrohn’s disease are typical examples of inflammation.

Factors that May Contribute to Autoimmune Disease

• Genetics. Some disorders run in families, such as lupus and multiple sclerosis. You are more likely to develop the autoimmune disease if you have a relative with the disease, but it does not guarantee you will get it.
• Weight. Being overweight or obese raises your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. Fat tissue may produce substances that encourage inflammation due to more weight putting greater stress on the joints.
• Smoking. Numerous autoimmune diseases can be brought on by smoking, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and hyperthyroidism.
• Certain medications. Drug-induced lupus, a benign form of lupus, can be caused by certain blood pressure medications and antibiotics, and statins can cause statin-induced myopathy, which causes muscle weakness.

Treatment for Autoimmune Disease

Treatment for autoimmune disease depends on the type of the condition and its severity. Several immune suppressant drugs and ointments treat symptoms of autoimmune disease. This includes:

• Tacrolimus– prescribe during an organ transplant
• Tacroz– an ointment form of medication
• Pangraf 0.5mg