Your immune system usually protects you from diseases, infections and cancer. When the immune system detects an abnormal protein or cell (like a virus or cancer cell), it creates specific immune cells to target them. Usually, your immune system can tell the difference between your own cells and abnormal cells/proteins. However in autoimmune disease, your body produces antibodies to your own cells, and this causes damage to your cells and tissues. These are called autoantibodies. This damage causes various symptoms and signs, depending on which cells or tissues are affected.
Common Autoimmune Diseases
The most common autoimmune disease world wide is Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. In this condition, the immune system makes antibodies in response to detecting the cells in the pancreas that normally produce insulin. The immune cells destroy the cells and gradually they can no longer produce insulin.
Other common autoimmune diseases and the tissues they affect are:
- Psoriasis: skin, nails, joints and tendons.
- Coeliac disease: small bowel but can also affect skin and joints.
- Thyroid disease: thyroid gland, causing you to become under or overactive.
- Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis): stomach, small bowel, large bowel plus joints, skin, mouth, eyes.
- Pernicious anaemia: stomach, stopping you absorbing vitamin B12.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: synovial joints, tendons, kidneys, lungs.
Common Symptoms of Autoimmune Disease
Symptoms depend on the specific cells or tissues affected but there are symptoms that are common across all autoimmune diseases:
- Fatigue
- Joint and muscle pain
- Intermittent low fever
- Weight loss
Some autoimmune conditions like diabetes, thyroid disease and pernicious anaemia tend to remain stable as long as people receive medications to replace what the autoimmune disease has depleted. Or for example avoiding gluten in coeliac disease, should control the majority of the symptoms. Other autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis tend to flare up at times, then settle at other times.
So What Causes an Autoimmune Disease to Start
The cause for developing an autoimmune diseases is multifactorial. There is a genetic predisposition, as some people inherit faulty genes from their parents that mean they are more likely to develop an autoimmune condition. This means that certain autoimmune conditions run in families.
Certain environmental factors like infection, smoking, chemicals and lack of nutrients can then trigger the immune system in those with the genetic defect. Being female increase your risk and various ethnic factors affect your risk. Also, If you already have one autoimmune diseases, you are likely to develop another.
What do I do If I think I have an Autoimmune Condition or have Many of the Symptoms
If you have the symptoms above and have a personal history or family history of autoimmune disease, it would be advised to see a GP.
The Doctor can take history and examine you for signs of disease. Blood tests are also useful in detecting inflammation in your body, autoantibodies for different autoimmune diseases and levels of hormones/proteins in the blood. Once the blood results are back, a diagnosis can be made and treatment started. And referrals for x-rays or specialists can be arranged.
