Guide to
Autoimmune Diseases
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What Are They?
Your immune system
fights off harmful germs and other things that shouldn’t be in your body.
Sometimes, though, something goes wrong and it attacks healthy tissue like it’s
a threat. That can lead to inflammation and damage to joints, nerves, muscles,
skin, and other parts of your body.
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Why Do They Happen?
Researchers think two
things have to happen for you to have an autoimmune disorder. First, you get
genes from your parents that make you more likely to have one. Then it’s
triggered by something in your environment, like a virus. Because more women
are affected than men, doctors think certain hormones may play a role.
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Type 1 Diabetes
This used to be known as
the “juvenile” type of diabetes because it usually starts in children or teens.
It happens when your immune system kills the cells in your pancreas that make a
hormone called insulin that your body needs to change food to energy.
If you have type 1, you’ll always have it, but you can manage it by
watching your blood sugar levels and giving yourself insulin when you need it.
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Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
When you have MS, your
body’s defenses misfire and cause inflammation that damages your central
nervous system. Scar tissue builds up along the network that carries nerve
signals from your brain to other parts of your body. This causes pain, problems
with movement and balance, and weakness. Medicines can help with your symptoms
and may slow down the illness.
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Crohn’s disease and
ulcerative colitis (UC) are kinds of IBD. Your body’s defenses attack your
intestines and cause inflammation, belly pain, and bleeding. Crohn’s disease
usually happens in the last part of your small intestine and your colon, while
UC is in the lining of your colon. Treatment includes anti-inflammatory drugs,
antibiotics, and medicine to slow your immune system. Surgery is another
possibility. It can often get rid of UC, but Crohn’s disease is likely to come
back.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis
This autoimmune disorder
affects your joints and causes swelling and pain. Over time, inflammation can
damage your cartilage and bones, and you can’t move them as well. RA also can
cause problems with your heart and lungs. Medications can help with symptoms
and slow the disease down.
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Ankylosing Spondylitis
This type of arthritis
mostly affects your spine, but it also can be in your chest, neck, hips, and
knees. It causes pain and stiffness. Your bones might eventually join together
and make it hard for you to move those areas. It can affect your organs, too.
Your treatment might include specific stretches and exercises along with
medicines to help with pain, DMARDs, and steroid shots. You also might need
surgery to replace damaged joints.
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Lupus
This illness affects
several parts of your body at the same time. Symptoms include joint pain,
sensitivity to light, kidney problems, and being very tired. You also might
have a rash over your cheeks and nose. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) and steroids can help you feel better, and disease-modifying
antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) may keep it from getting worse. If your
symptoms are really bad, your doctor may suggest medication that slows down
your immune system or chemotherapy (a combination of several powerful drugs).
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Addison’s Disease
Your adrenal glands sit
on top of your kidneys. When your immune system attacks and damages them, they
can’t make enough of certain hormones. When that happens, your body can have
trouble changing food into fuel and keeping your blood pressure stable, among
other things. Early signs of Addison’s disease can include fatigue and patches
of skin that are darker than the areas around them. To treat it, you’ll take
medicine to replace the hormones you’re missing.
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Graves’ Disease
Your thyroid gland makes
hormones that help your body work in lots of ways. With this autoimmune
disease, it makes too much of those -- a condition called hyperthyroidism.
Symptoms include shaking, weight loss, anxiety, and slightly bulging eyes.
Drugs can slow down the hormones. Your doctor may also suggest surgery to
remove part or all of the gland.
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Hashimoto’s Disease
If your thyroid doesn’t
make enough of the hormones it’s supposed to, it can lead to this illness, also
called chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. It can make you gain weight, be more
tired than usual, be sensitive to cold, and make your hair fall out, among
other issues. You may notice that the front of your throat is swollen or your
face is puffy. Medicine can replace these hormones and ease the symptoms.
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Alopecia Areata
When your body attacks
the follicles where your hair grows, they may shrink and stop working. That can
lead to bare patches or a total loss of hair on your body. Medicine can calm
your immune system and may help hair grow back.
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Myasthenia Gravis
This disorder causes
problems with the signals between your nerves and muscles. That leads to
weakness and makes it hard to control certain movements. You might notice eye
problems first, and it can affect your facial expressions and how you talk,
swallow, and chew. Drugs can help, or you could have surgery to remove the
thymus gland, which may play a role in this.
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Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
When you have this
condition, your body attacks your nerve network. Your arms and legs may be weak
and tingly, and you might not be able to feel heat or pain. Your doctor may
recommend a procedure called a plasma exchange. This is when your blood is
taken out and the liquid part of your blood (called plasma) is removed, then
the blood cells are put back.
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Psoriasis
This condition starts
when your body’s defenses trigger inflammation and make your skin cells grow
too fast. They rise to the surface before they’re fully developed. This causes
thick, red patches that might itch or feel sore. It’s treated with creams or ultraviolet
light that ease symptoms, or with medicine that calms your immune system.
This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional informatio
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