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A person’s immune system is a network of cells and tissues throughout their body that work together to defend them against viruses, bacteria, and infections. By identifying, killing, and eliminating any potential invaders, it tries to protect you from harm. Autoimmune disease refers to problems with the acquired immune system’s reactions. Immune cells target the body’s healthy tissues by mistake, signalling the body to attack them.
What is an Autoimmune Disease?
Autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s natural defense system can’t tell the variance between your cells and foreign cells, which mistakenly causes the body to attack normal cells. More than 80 types of autoimmune diseases affect a wide range of body parts.
Researchers don’t know what causes autoimmune disease, but several theories point to an overactive immune system attacking the body after an infection or injury. Certain risk factors increase the chances of developing autoimmune disorders, including:
- Genetics: Certain disorders, such as lupus and multiple sclerosis, tend to run in families.
- Weight: Being overweight or obese raises your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. This could be because more weight puts more stress on the joints or because fat tissue makes substances that encourage inflammation.
- Smoking: Research has linked smoking to several autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism, and multiple sclerosis.
- Certain medications: Certain blood pressure medications or antibiotics can trigger drug-induced lupus, which is often a more benign form of lupus. Before starting or stopping any medications, however, make sure to talk to your doctor.
Diagnosing an autoimmune disease usually takes healthcare providers longer than diagnosing other diseases. This is because many autoimmune diseases have similar symptoms with each other and with other conditions. You can help your healthcare provider with the diagnosing process by bringing the following to your appointment:
- A detailed list of symptoms and how long you’ve had them.
- Note if anyone in your family has an autoimmune disease.
In addition to interviewing you about your symptoms, your healthcare provider may do some blood tests to check for autoimmune diseases, including:
- Antinuclear antibody test (ANA)
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
Specific symptoms combined with particular blood markers may prove that you have an autoimmune disease.
There are no specific cures for autoimmune diseases, but symptoms can be managed using this medication:
- Tacrolimus – this medicine is an oral immuno-suppressant drug. Immuno-suppressants are a class of drugs used to treat and prevent certain medical conditions. The drug suppresses or inhibits the immune system’s activity and prevents it from attacking the transplanted organ, as it attacks any foreign cells, which could otherwise lead to severe damage to the organ. It also stops the immune system from damaging healthy cells and tissues.
What Are The Symptoms?
Symptoms categorized by type of disease include:
Diseases of the digestive tract:
- Nausea
- Food sensitivities
- Blood or mucus in stool
- Abdominal pain
- Acid reflux
- Bloating
- Constipation
Diseases of the joints and muscles:
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle aches and pains
- Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling
- Inflammation
Diseases of the nervous system:
- Lightheadedness
- Numbness and tingling
- Confusion and difficulty thinking
- Blurry vision
- Insomnia
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Anxiety and depression
- Memory issues
- Migraines
Diseases of the skin:
- Inflammation
- Dry eyes
- Dry mouth
- Hair loss
- Dry skin
- Rashes
- Itching
Other diseases:
- Shortness of breath
- Temperature sensitivity
- Pain
- Fever
- Chest pain
- Weight gain or loss
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Fatigue
- Swollen glands
What Is An Example Of An Autoimmune Disease?
Some common autoimmune diseases include:
Diseases of the joints and muscles:
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Sjögren’s syndrome
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (Lupus, SLE)
Diseases of the digestive tract:
- Crohn’s disease
- Celiac disease
- Ulcerative colitis
Diseases of the endocrine system:
- Graves’ disease
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Addison’s disease
Diseases of the skin:
- Dermatomyositis
- Psoriasis
Diseases of the nervous system:
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Other diseases:
- Myasthenia gravis
- Autoimmune vasculitis
- Type 1 diabetes
- Pernicious anemia
- Vasculitis
