What are autoimmune diseases?
Our bodies have an immune system, which is a complex network of special cells and organs that defends the body from germs and other foreign invaders. At the core of the immune system is the ability to tell the difference between self and nonself: what’s you and what’s foreign. A flaw can make the body unable to tell the difference between self and nonself. When this happens, the body makes autoantibodies (AW-toh-AN-teye-bah-deez) that attack normal cells by mistake. At the same time special cells called regulatory T cells fail to do their job of keeping the immune system in line. The result is a misguided attack on your own body. This causes the damage we know as autoimmune disease. The body parts that are affected depend on the type of autoimmune disease. There are more than 80 known types.
How common are autoimmune diseases?
Overall, autoimmune diseases are common, affecting more than 23.5 million Americans. They are a leading cause of death and disability. Yet some autoimmune diseases are rare, while others, such as Hashimoto’s disease, affect many people.
Who gets autoimmune diseases?
Did you know?
Sponsored by the Office on Women’s Health, theCould I Have Lupus? Campaign is raising awareness about lupus and providing a supportive online community for women coping with lupus symptoms.
Autoimmune diseases can affect anyone. Yet certain people are at greater risk, including:
- Women of childbearing age — More women than men have autoimmune diseases, which often start during their childbearing years.
- People with a family history — Some autoimmune diseases run in families, such as lupus and multiple sclerosis. It is also common for different types of autoimmune diseases to affect different members of a single family. Inheriting certain genes can make it more likely to get an autoimmune disease. But a combination of genes and other factors may trigger the disease to start.
- People who are around certain things in the environment — Certain events or environmental exposures may cause some autoimmune diseases, or make them worse. Sunlight, chemicals called solvents, and viral and bacterial infections are linked to many autoimmune diseases.
- People of certain races or ethnic backgrounds — Some autoimmune diseases are more common or more severely affect certain groups of people more than others. For instance, type 1 diabetes is more common in white people. Lupus is most severe for African-American and Hispanic people.
What autoimmune diseases affect women, and what are their symptoms?
The diseases listed here either are more common in women than men or affect many women and men. They are listed in A-to-Z order.
Although each disease is unique, many share hallmark symptoms, such as fatigue, dizziness, and low-grade fever. For many autoimmune diseases, symptoms come and go, or can be mild sometimes and severe at others. When symptoms go away for a while, it’s called remission. Flares are the sudden and severe onset of symptoms.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/autoimmune-diseases.html
|
Disease |
Symptoms |
|---|---|
| Alopecia areata (Al-uh-PEE-shuh AR-ee-AYT-uh)
The immune system attacks hair follicles (the structures from which hair grows). It usually does not threaten health, but it can greatly affect the way a person looks. |
|
| Antiphospholipid (an-teye-FOSS-foh-lip-ihd)antibody syndrome (aPL)
A disease that causes problems in the inner lining of blood vessels resulting in blood clots in arteries or veins. |
|
| Autoimmune hepatitis
The immune system attacks and destroys the liver cells. This can lead to scarring and hardening of the liver, and possibly liver failure. |
|
| Celiac disease
A disease in which people can’t tolerate gluten, a substance found in wheat, rye, and barley, and also some medicines. When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products that have gluten, the immune system responds by damaging the lining of the small intestines. |
|
| Diabetes type 1
A disease in which your immune system attacks the cells that make insulin, a hormone needed to control blood sugar levels. As a result, your body cannot make insulin. Without insulin, too much sugar stays in your blood. Too high blood sugar can hurt the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth. But the most serious problem caused by diabetes is heart disease. |
|
| Graves’ disease (overactive thyroid)
A disease that causes the thyroid to make too much thyroid hormone. |
|
| Guillain-Barre (GEE-yahn bah-RAY) syndrome
The immune system attacks the nerves that connect your brain and spinal cord with the rest of your body. Damage to the nerves makes it hard for them to transmit signals. As a result, the muscles have trouble responding to the brain. |
Symptoms often progress relatively quickly, over a period of days or weeks, and often occur on both sides of the body. |
| Hashimoto’s (hah-shee-MOH-tohz) disease(underactive thyroid)
A disease that causes the thyroid to not make enough thyroid hormone. |
|
| Hemolytic anemia (HEE-moh-lit-ihk uh-NEE-mee-uh)
The immune system destroys the red blood cells. Yet the body can’t make new red blood cells fast enough to meet the body’s needs. As a result, your body does not get the oxygen it needs to function well, and your heart must work harder to move oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. |
|
| Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (id-ee-oh-PATH-ihk throm-boh-seye-toh-PEE-nik PUR-pur-uh)(ITP)
A disease in which the immune system destroys blood platelets, which are needed for blood to clot. |
|
| Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
A disease that causes chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Crohn’s (krohnz) disease and ulcerative colitis (UHL-sur-uh-tiv koh-LEYE-tuhss) are the most common forms of IBD. |
Some people also have:
|
| Inflammatory myopathies (meye-OP-uh-theez)
A group of diseases that involve muscle inflammation and muscle weakness. Polymyositis (pol-ee-meye-uh-SYT-uhss) and dermatomyositis (dur-muh-toh-meye-uh-SYT-uhss) are 2 types more common in women than men. |
May also have:
|
| Multiple sclerosis (MUHL-tip-uhl sklur-OH-suhss)(MS)
A disease in which the immune system attacks the protective coating around the nerves. The damage affects the brain and spinal cord. |
|
| Myasthenia gravis (meye-uhss-THEEN-ee-uh GRAV-uhss) (MG)
A disease in which the immune system attacks the nerves and muscles throughout the body. |
|
| Primary biliary cirrhosis (BIL-ee-air-ee sur-ROH-suhss)
The immune system slowly destroys the liver’s bile ducts. Bile is a substance made in the liver. It travels through the bile ducts to help with digestion. When the ducts are destroyed, the bile builds up in the liver and hurts it. The damage causes the liver to harden and scar, and eventually stop working. |
|
| Psoriasis (suh-REYE-uh-suhss)
A disease that causes new skin cells that grow deep in your skin to rise too fast and pile up on the skin surface. |
May have:
|
| Rheumatoid arthritis (ROO-muh-toid ar-THREYE-tuhss)
A disease in which the immune system attacks the lining of the joints throughout the body. |
May have:
|
| Scleroderma (sklair-oh-DUR-muh)
A disease causing abnormal growth of connective tissue in the skin and blood vessels. |
|
| Sjögren’s (SHOH-grins) syndrome
A disease in which the immune system targets the glands that make moisture, such as tears and saliva. |
|
| Systemic lupus erythematosus (LOO-puhss ur-ih-thee-muh-TOH-suhss)
A disease that can damage the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, and other parts of the body. Also called SLE or lupus. |
|
| Vitiligo (vit-ihl-EYE-goh)
The immune system destroys the cells that give your skin its color. It also can affect the tissue inside your mouth and nose. |
|
FOR A LIMITED TIME
please sign up and receive a free copy of
Mike's best selling ebook
"The Transformation
From Within"
