The body's immune system protects it from illness and infection. However, when the immune system is damaged, it wrongly targets healthy cells, tissues, and organs for attack. This is the core of any autoimmune disease: the body attacks itself. 

Even now, after more than 100 autoimmune diseases have been identified, scientists are not sure what causes these diseases and there is no cure for them.

In this article, let's dive deeper into what we currently understand about autoimmune diseases and how to manage them.

What Are Autoimmune Diseases And Why Do They Happen To Us?

Autoimmune disease is a broad umbrella term for all diseases that result from your immune system attacking your body. 

In simple terms, your immune system is like a country’s police force. Like any police force, their role is to protect friendly civilians and defend against foreign invaders (such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi).

Normally, your immune system does its job very well. It creates soldiers called antibodies that attack and kill all harmful pathogens.

In fact, your immune system then goes a step further. It creates a memory of the DNA makeup of all pathogens it has attacked. So, in the future, if the same pathogen attacks your body, your immune system has an army ready beforehand. 

This is why polio vaccines work so well. Doctors inject a weak version of the polio virus into your bloodstream. Your immune system can fight this weakened virus effectively and create a memory of this virus and its DNA. If your body is then attacked by the polio virus at any time in the future, your immune system can easily defend itself. 

Clearly, the immune system is miraculous. However, like any police force, sometimes, parts of the immune system can get corrupted. 

While scientists are uncertain about the exact cause, it is known that the immune system becomes unable to distinguish between healthy cells and foreign invaders. 

The immune system’s antibodies release weapons that attack healthy cells in your body. This malfunction of the immune system manifests itself in various ways and later in the article, we will dive deeper into the most common autoimmune diseases. 

Cause And Effect Of An Autoimmune Disease

While there are many autoimmune diseases, scientists believe that there is a common cause for their occurrence.

Certain factors like gender, race, and ethnicity have been associated with a higher likelihood of developing autoimmune diseases, although there is no consensus.

Autoimmune diseases are also more common when people are in contact with certain environmental exposures such as sunlight, pesticides, and mercury. 

Now, that we understand what are some of the likely causes of Autoimmune diseases, let’s discuss what effects some autoimmune diseases can have on you or your loved ones.

Symptoms Associated With Autoimmune Diseases

The affected area of your body determines the symptoms of an autoimmune disease. Many autoimmune illnesses have early signs and symptoms, including:

• Fatigue

• Achy muscles

• Swelling and redness

• Fever

• Trouble concentrating

• Hands and feet that are numb and tingly

• Hair loss

• Skin rashes

Individual diseases can also have their own unique symptoms. For example, type 1 diabetes causes extreme thirst, weight loss, and fatigue. Alopecia Areata causes hair loss in patches. 

Diagnosing Autoimmune Diseases

When assessing a patient suspected of having an autoimmune disease, laboratory testing is extremely valuable. The data can be used to follow the progress of the disease, confirm a diagnosis, gauge the severity of the illness, and help determine the prognosis. 

Components of the laboratory exam include:

1. Complete Blood Count with differential 

2. Comprehensive metabolic panel 

3. Inflammatory markers

4. Autoantibodies 

5. Flow cytometry

The immunologic disease of a patient is better understood when a thorough clinical evaluation is combined with a complete laboratory study of a suspected autoimmune sickness.

Living With An Autoimmune Disease

For most people, an autoimmune disease is a lifetime illness. Since there is no cure for most autoimmune conditions and very nascent treatment options available, patients find various mechanisms to live a normal, healthy life. 

Available Treatment Options

Although there is no known cure for autoimmune illnesses, treatments can moderate the hyperactive immune response and reduce inflammation.

The most common line of action for autoimmune diseases include:

1. Immunosuppressant Drugs: 

• As the name suggests, this medication works by targeting the specific part of your immune system that is malfunctioning and suppressing its effectiveness. 

• Some recent innovation in this area has shown significant progress. For example, JAK inhibitors have been shown to significantly improve remission in diseases such as Alopecia Areata, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Atopic Dermatitis, and many more.

2. Anti-Inflammatory Drugs:

• These medications, like ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Naprosyn), reduce inflammation within tissues and joints and have analgesic effects. 

• These drugs have proven very effective in managing chronic musculo-skeletal pain and diverse forms of acute pain for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and other musculo-skeletal disorders.

• Unfortunately, this line of treatment only manages the symptoms of the disease and does not affect the disease itself.

Unfortunately, the best line of treatment for autoimmune diseases can have its own side effects on our health. 

JAK inhibitors are currently the best line of treatment for a vast number of autoimmune diseases. A growing number of patients have called this innovation a miracle drug because of the improvement they noticed in their condition. 

However, as an immunosuppressant, JAK inhibitors have significant risks that patients need to be aware of and manage effectively. While the FDA has approved certain JAK inhibitors for use, it has issued a black box warning. This means that patients using this medication are at risk of serious infections, thrombosis, malignancies, and even death.

Hence, it is strongly advised to take abundant precautions and care before starting these medications. Below is a simple checklist to follow if you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

Treatment Plan Checklist

• Consult your doctor - Find a doctor you trust and let them help and support you through the entire process.

• Complete Health Report - Get a complete health panel to get a better understanding of your health and areas of concern.

• Find a reliable supplier - Often these medications can be very expensive or out of stock. Be sure to find a nearby supplier and have a backup option.

• Start the medication - Your doctor will prescribe the right dosage and timings to take your medication. Follow these instructions as much as possible. 

• Monitor your health - Take some time out of your day to reflect and assess your health and if there have been any recent changes. 

• Regular Health checkups - It is important to be cognizant of your health and how it is evolving while on this medication. A regular health check-up can keep you informed!

• Start an Anti-inflammatory diet - Along with medications, it is important to have a healthy balanced diet that can support your fight against this disease.

What Is An Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

Think of inflammation as the body's natural response to protect itself against harm. 

When the immune system thinks that there are foreign invaders in the body, it increases the production of its defence called white blood cells. This increase in production causes inflammation in the body.

For healthy individuals, this response is natural and benign. However, in individuals with malfunctioning immune systems, the inflammation can be harmful and chronic. 

Therefore, doctors recommend following an anti-inflammatory diet along with anti-inflammatory drugs.

Here are a few examples of foods that fight inflammation and some foods that increase inflammation and should be avoided. 

Following this anti-inflammatory diet along with regular water intake, exercise, and other nutritional requirements can help individuals not only better manage their auto-immune disease but also to live a better, healthier life.

Parting Thoughts

Dealing with autoimmune diseases can be challenging, both physically and emotionally. It's important to prioritize self-care and emotional support to cope with the difficulties that may arise.

Remember that everyone's experience with autoimmune diseases is unique, so it's important to find coping strategies that work best for you. Be patient with yourself, seek support when needed, and focus on your overall well-being.