Autoimmune Diseases: When the Body Attacks Itself

When the body’s immune system starts to attack itself, disorder erupts. There are up to 80,000 different autoimmune disorders, all ranging in severity. The immune system falls on a spectrum of very low functioning to being overly active. When the immune system is deficient, the body is unable to protect itself to ward off infections. When the immune system is hyperactive, the body starts to attack and damage its very own tissues. The immune system is meant to fight off infections, but with an autoimmune condition, the body starts to produce antibodies.

Doctors don’t exactly know the root cause of autoimmune disease. The most common symptoms include fatigue, achy muscles, hair loss, weight gain and skin rashes. Flare ups can occur at any time. Women tend to acquire autoimmune conditions twice as often as compared to men. The disease can begin a any time and often starts in childhood or teenage years . Many autoimmune conditions run in families, such as multiple sclerosis and lupus. Researchers believe environmental factors may be the culprit since the rate of these diseases are on the rise. Eating high fat, high sugar, and processed foods also wreaks havoc on the immune system. An anti-nuclear antibody test (ANA) can be performed to confirm diagnosis.

Some of these conditions are more common than others. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the body produces antibodies that attack the joints. This causes pain, inflammation, and swelling to the areas of the joint. Multiple sclerosis is when the immune system attacks the nerve cells. Muscle spasms are a common symptom. Inflammatory bowl syndrome (IBS) occurs when the immune system starts to attack the lining of the intestine. As a result, bowel movements can become uncontrollable, diarrhea can occur, as well as rectal bleeding. Type I diabetes is also an autoimmune condition that occurs when antibodies attack the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Thyroid diseases are also in the autoimmune class. Grave’s disease, also known as hyperthyroidism, is when the antibodies produce excess amount of thyroid hormone. Hashimoto’s has the opposite effect, taking place when the antibodies destroy the cells that produce the thyroid hormone. Lupus is when the antibodies attack different tissues in the body such as the lungs, joints, and kidneys.

There are different steroid drugs and medications to suppress these conditions. Many of the symptoms overlap so diagnosis can be difficult as well as treatment. Blood testing is usually the most informative tool a doctor can use to help diagnose a condition and then address symptoms and/or pain. The idea is to suppress the overactive immune system. Living with an autoimmune condition can be debilitating, so seek treatment, practice self-care, and do all that you can to keep yourself in the best health possible at all times.

Sources:

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/autoimmune-diseases

http://autoimmune.pathology.jhmi.edu/aboutcenter.cfm

https://www.aarda.org/news-information/research/

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/epstein-barr-virus-autoimmune-diseases