What is autoimmune disease?
In autoimmune disease, the immune system attacks parts of the body, causing symptoms and damage. The immune system’s job is to identify and get rid of anything that is non-self, but in autoimmune disease the immune system attacks one’s own cells and tissues.
What causes autoimmune disease?
Although the usual portrayal is of an immune system that just goes nuts and starts attacking for unknown reasons or no reason, often the immune system is doing its job correctly. In these cases, something – chemicals, metals, microorganisms, or undigested food from leaky gut – combines with cells and tissues and make them appear to be non-self. In other cases, the immune system is so overwhelmed by toxins or infection that it loses its ability to discriminate between self and non-self. Usually both of these occur together.
Which disease will a particular person develop?
If conditions are ripe for autoimmune disease, the particular disease that one develops usually depends on one’s genetic weakest link. Some people are more likely to develop autoimmune diseases that affect the joints, the intestines, the nervous system, or the kidneys, depending on where their genetic weakness is.
How prevalent are autoimmune diseases?
Autoimmune diseases are much more prevalent than most people realize. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as many as 23.5 million Americans have an autoimmune disease. For contrast, 11 million have cancer and 17 million have heart disease, two illness categories that get much more attention and research funding.
Because autoimmune diseases are so widespread and there are so many of them, autoimmune disease should be suspected whenever there are multiple and hard to diagnose symptoms.
Many people have more than one autoimmune disease, since the factors that cause one can lead to others as well.
How are autoimmune diseases diagnosed?
Autoimmune diseases can be hard to diagnose. Many of them affect several organs or systems, and the low-grade fevers, pain, and fatigue that are often present are common to many diseases, autoimmune and otherwise. There are specific tests for some of the autoimmune diseases but not others.
What are some of the most common autoimmune diseases?
There are at least 80 identified autoimmune illnesses. Here are a few of the most common, typically identified by the organ or system involved:
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Lupus
• Diabetes type 1
• Celiac disease
• Thyroiditis, Grave’s disease
• Addison’s disease
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
In MS, the immune system goes after the myelin sheath that covers the nerve cells, causing nervous system symptoms such as difficulty moving and walking, and pain and numbness. A good book on the subject is Back From MS by Dr. Bill Kellas and Dr. Andrea S. Dworkin, available at CAM.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
In rheumatoid arthritis, it is the synovial tissue in the joints that is affected. The synovial fluid lubricates the joints, allowing bones to move painlessly. With RA, joints become tender, swollen, and ultimately deformed. Swollen knuckles and twisted and bent fingers that are too painful to use are the most visible signs of RA.
Lupus
Lupus, discussed in another article on this website, affects multiple organs and systems, mostly the skin, joints, brain, lungs, and kidneys.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a disease where the pancreas, which secretes insulin to manage blood sugar and convert it to energy, is incapacitated by the immune system. This usually occurs in childhood. Only 5% of those with diabetes have type 1. Daily insulin injections are needed to manage the disease.
Celiac disease
In celiac disease, the villi – the fingerlike projections on the inner lining of the intestine that greatly increase the surface area for absorbing food – flatten and no longer do their job properly. The cause is an allergic reaction to gluten, the protein in wheat and some other grains such as barley, rye, and oats. The immune system makes antibodies to gluten, and these attack the intestinal lining. Symptoms, which come on or worsen when gluten is eaten, include gastrointestinal pain, bloating, and gas, as well as systemic symptoms of malnutrition such as unexplained weight loss, skin rashes, and muscle cramps, and over time, osteoporosis.
Thyroiditis
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Grave’s disease are autoimmune problems in which the thyroid is targeted. In Hashimoto’s, thyroid function is lost and symptoms of low thyroid function, such as fatigue, weight gain, and hair loss, occur. In Grave’s disease, the immune system causes an increase in thyroid hormone, leading to symptoms of hyperthyroidism: weight loss, irritability, insomnia, heat intolerance, and in severe cases protruding eyes. A person with one of these two disorders is likely to develop the other, although they appear to be opposite in their effect; one can follow the other or they can alternate.
Addison’s disease
In Addison’s (sometimes called Addison) disease, the adrenal glands above the kidneys are affected. Too little of the adrenal hormones is produced, leading to fatigue, weakness, an inability to handle stress, nausea and diarrhea.
What can be done for autoimmune diseases?
If not properly diagnosed and treated, autoimmune diseases tend to get worse. The good news is that more doctors, such as the practitioners at CAM, are recognizing the prevalence of such diseases and know where to look.
Treatment, as for all illnesses, involves determining the root cause(s), which can be somewhat different for different people. Detoxification of chemicals or metals such as dental mercury, or at least reduction of future exposure, is a common first step. A detoxification diet helps to reduce the possibility of, and heal, leaky gut.
Infection, if present, is identified and addressed. Treating Lyme and co-infections can help many people with autoimmune disorders.
