All you need to know about Autoimmune Disorder

Overview

The immune system is made up of organs and cells that fight bacteria, parasites, viruses, and cancer cells. An autoimmune disease occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your body rather than protecting it. Why your immune system does this is unknown?

Immune system disorders result in abnormally low or excessive immune system activity. Overactive immune systems cause the body to attack and damage its own tissues (autoimmune diseases). Immune deficiency diseases reduce the body's ability to fight off invaders, making it more susceptible to infection.

The immune system may produce antibodies that, instead of fighting infections, attack the body's own tissues in response to an unknown trigger. The goal of autoimmune disease treatment is to reduce immune system activity.

The immune system misidentifies parts of your body, such as your joints or skin, as foreign in autoimmune disease. Autoantibodies are proteins released by the body that attack healthy cells.

Some autoimmune diseases are limited to a single organ. The pancreas is harmed by type 1 diabetes. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an example of a disease that affects the entire body.

Common Autoimmune Disease

1. Type 1 Diabetes

Antibodies in the immune system attack and kill insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes require insulin injections to survive when they are first diagnosed.

2. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Antibodies are produced by the immune system and attach to the linings of joints. The joints are then attacked by immune system cells, resulting in inflammation, swelling, and pain. Rheumatoid arthritis, if left untreated, can lead to permanent joint damage. Various oral or injectable medications that reduce immune system overactivity can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

3. Psoriasis/ psoriatic arthritis

Psoriasis immune system blood cells also known as T-cells collect in the skin. The immune system activity stimulates skin cells to reproduce rapidly, producing silvery, scaly plaques on the skin.Skin cells normally grow and then shed when they are no longer needed. It causes skin cells to multiply too quickly.

4. Multiple Sclerosis

The immune system attacks nerve cells, causing symptoms that can include pain, blindness, weakness, poor coordination & muscle spasms. The various medicines that extinguished the immune system can be used to treat multiple sclerosis.

5. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

People with lupus develop autoimmune antibodies that can attach to tissues all over the body. The joints, lungs, blood cells, nerves, and kidneys are commonly affected by lupus.

6. Inflammatory bowel disease:

The immune system attacks the lining of the intestine, causing diarrhea, rectal bleeding, urgent bowel movements, abdominal pain, fever, and weight loss. There are two major forms of Inflammatory bowel disease Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

7. Addison’s Disease

The adrenal glands, which produce the hormones cortisol and aldosterone as well as androgen hormones, are affected by Addison's disease. Cortisol deficiency can affect how the body uses and stores carbohydrates and sugar (glucose). Aldosterone deficiency causes sodium loss and excess potassium in the bloodstream.

8. Graves’ Disease:

Graves' disease is a disease that affects the thyroid gland in the neck, causing it to overproduce hormones. Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism, or how much energy the body uses.

Excessive levels of these hormones stimulate your body's activities, resulting in symptoms such as nervousness, a racing heart, heat intolerance, and weight loss.

Exophthalmos, or bulging eyes, is one possible symptom of this disease.

9. Sjogren’s Syndrome:

The condition attacks the glands that provide lubrication to the eyes and mouth. The symptoms of Sjogren’s syndrome are dry eyes and dry mouth. It may affect the joints or skin.

10. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Antibodies produced by the immune system attack the thyroid gland, gradually destroying the thyroid hormone-producing cells. Hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels) develops over months to years. Fatigue, constipation, weight gain, depression, dry skin, and cold sensitivity are all symptoms. Taking an oral synthetic thyroid hormone pill on a daily basis helps to restore normal body functions. Learn more about thyroid underactivity treatments.

11. Myasthenia gravis:

Nerve impulses that help the brain control the muscles are affected by myasthenia gravis. Signals can't direct muscles to contract when communication between nerves and muscles is disrupted.

Muscle weakness is the most common symptom, which worsens with activity and improves with rest. Eye movements, eyelid opening, swallowing, and facial movements are all frequently affected.

12. Autoimmune vasculitis

The immune system attacks and damages blood vessels. Vasculitis can affect any organ, resulting in a wide range of symptoms that can manifest themselves almost anywhere in the body. Prednisone or another corticosteroid is commonly used to reduce immune system activity.

13. Pernicious anemia:

This condition results in a lack of intrinsic factor, a protein produced by stomach lining cells and required for the small intestine to absorb vitamin B-12 from food. Anemia will develop if not enough of this vitamin is consumed, and the body's ability to properly synthesize DNA will be compromised.

Older people are more likely to develop pernicious anemia.

14. Celiac Disease

The people who are suffering from 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 gastrointestinal tract and causes inflammation.

Symptoms of Autoimmune Disorder

The early symptoms of Autoimmune disorder are :

• Fatigue
• Joint Pain & Swelling
• Skin Problem
• Abdominal Pain or digestive issues
• Recurring fever
• Swollen gland
• Numbness and tingling in the hand & feet
• Hair loss
• Skin Rashes

Autoimmune Disease Risk Factors

The overactive immune system attacks the body after an infection or injury. There are certain risk factors that increase the chance of developing autoimmune disorders, including:

• Genetics

There are certain disorders such as lupus and multiple sclerosis (MS) that tend to run in families. It may happen that if your relative with an autoimmune disease increases your risk, but it doesn’t mean you will develop a disease for certain.

• Weight:

If you are overweight or obese raises youmay risk developing rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. This is because if you gain more weight puts greater stress on the joints or because fat tissue makes substances that encourage inflammation.

• Smoking:

Smoking is the most common reason for a number of autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism, and MS.

• Medications:

There are certain medications such as blood pressure and antibiotics can trigger drug-induced lupus.

Treatment for Autoimmune Disorder

 The autoimmune disorder, in general, cannot be cured easily, but the condition can be controlled or treated in many cases that are:

• Auto-inflammatory drugs:

That reduces inflammation and pain

• Corticosteroids:

That reduces inflammation. They are sometimes used to treat an acute flare of symptoms.

• Pain-killing medication:

Are Paracetamol and codeine

• Immunosuppressant drugs:

That inhibits the activity of the immune system

• Physical Therapy:

That encourages and relax your body.

• Treatment for the deficiency

Insulin Injection in the case of diabetes

• Surgery:

Treat bowel blockage in the case of Crohn’s disease

• High dose immunosuppression:

The use of immune system suppressing drugs (in the doses needed to treat cancer or to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs) have been tried recently.