Autoimmune disorders
An autoimmune disorder occurs when the body’s immunestsystem attacks and destroys healthy body tissue by mistake. There are more than 80 autoimmune disorders. When you have an autoimmune disorder, your immune system does not distinguish between healthy tissue and potentially harmful antigens. As a result, your body sets off a reaction that attacks and destroys healthy body tissue instead of invading or harmful antigens by mistake. There are more than 80 autoimmune disorders.
CAUSES
The blood cells in the body’s immune system help protect against harmful substances. Examples include bacteria, viruses, toxins, cancer cells, and blood and tissue from outside the body. These substances contain antigens. The immune system produces antibodies against these antigens that enable it to destroy these harmful substances.
When you have an autoimmune disorder, your immune system does not distinguish between healthy tissue and potentially harmful antigens. As a result, your body sets off a reaction that destroys normal tissues instead of invading or harmful antigens.
The exact cause of autoimmune disorders is unknown. One theory is that some microorganisms (such as bacteria, parasites, viruses or toxins) may trigger changes that confuse the immune system. This may happen more often in people who have a supressed immune system
An autoimmune disorder may affect one or more organ or tissue types. Areas often affected by autoimmune disorders include:
- Blood vessels
- Connective tissues
- Endocrine glands such as the thyroid or pancreas
- Joints
- Muscles
- Red blood cells
- Skin
TYPES OF AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS
Autoimmune disorders can affect nearly every organ and system of the body and a person may have more than one autoimmune disorder at the same time. Common autoimmune disorders include:
- Diabetes (Type I) – affects the pancreas. Symptoms include thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and an increased susceptibility to infection.
- Graves’ disease – affects the thyroid gland. Symptoms include weight loss, elevated heart rate, anxiety and diarrhoea.
- Inflammatory bowel disease – includes ulcerative colitis and possibly, Crohn’s disease. Symptoms include diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
- Multiple sclerosis – affects the nervous system. Depending on which part of the nervous system is affected, symptoms can include numbness, paralysis and vision impairment.
- Psoriasis – affects the skin. Features include the development of thick, reddened skin scales.
- Rheumatoid arthritis – affects the joints. Symptoms include swollen and deformed joints. The eyes, lungs and heart may also be targeted.
- Scleroderma – affects the skin and other structures, causing the formation of scar tissue. Features include thickening of the skin, skin ulcers and stiff joints.
- Systemic lupus erythematosus – affects connective tissue and can strike any organ system of the body. Symptoms include joint inflammation, fever, weight loss and a characteristic facial rash.
- Fibromyalgia – Fibromyalgia is the medical term for patients suffering from total body pain. Fibromyalgia patients suffer from tremendous body pain, severe muscle spasms, and “trigger points.” Still, they also suffer from anxiety issues because the excessive electrical current running throughout every nerve in their body also pulses throughout their brain!
- Vitiligo – Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition of an autoimmune nature characterized by the loss of melanin-producing cells or melanocytes, resulting in the appearance of depigmented areas on the skin in the form of patches that contrast with those that are pigmented, this alteration being the distinctive feature of the disease.
