An Autoimmune Disorder takes place when a person’s immune system attacks their body mistakenly. There are a lot of autoimmune disorders which range from pretty mild to ones that have the capacity of disabling people.
In this article, I will be discussing some of the signs, symptoms, and causes of Autoimmune Disorders that people can experience. Keep reading till the end to find out more information on the same!
About Autoimmune Diseases
This immune system of ours has a collection of special chemicals and cells that fight off all infection-causing agents like viruses and bacteria. An autoimmune disorder takes place when the immune system of a person attacks itself mistakenly.
Autoimmune disorders are classified into two main categories – Organ-Specific and Non-organ-specific. When it comes to organ-specific disorders, only one organ is affected. If it is non-organ specific then there are possibilities of multiple organs getting affected.
Types Of Autoimmune Disorders
Here is a list of Autoimmune Disorders that can affect nearly every organ of the body. A few of the more common Autoimmune Disorders are:
1. Graves’ Disease
This affects the thyroid gland. The primary symptoms include anxiety, weight loss, diarrhea, accelerated heartbeat, and so on.
2. Diabetes (Type 1)
This disease primarily affects the pancreas. The symptoms include frequent need for urination, thirst, increased exposure to infection, and weight loss.
3. Multiple Sclerosis
This disease affects the nervous system. It depends on the part of the nervous system that is affected. The symptoms include paralysis, impairment of vision, and numbness.
4. Inflammatory Bowel Disease
This includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea.
5. Psoriasis
This mainly affects the skin. People who are affected by this develop reddened and thick skin with scales.
6. Rheumatic Arthritis
This condition affects the joints. The symptoms include deformed and swollen joints. The heart, lungs, and eyes may also be affected by this condition.
7. Multiple Sclerosis
This affects the nervous system. It also depends on the part of the nervous system that is affected. The symptoms can include vision impairment, paralysis, and numbness.
8. Scleroderma
Scleroderma affects the skin and other forms of structures. It causes the formation of a scar system in the body. The symptoms mainly include fever, joint inflammation, and weight loss. The person might also get a facial rash.
9. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
This condition affects the connective tissue and can also strike any organ of the body. The symptoms include fever, inflammation, weight loss, and facial rash.
Keep reading till the end to find out more information on Autoimmune Disorders!
Possible Causes For Autoimmune Diseases
The exact causes for it are still unknown but these are a list of some of the risk factors which can give space to a person getting affected with Autoimmune disease:
1. Gender
Around thirty percent of the total female population seems to have autoimmune disorders.
2. Genetics
There’s this predisposition of autoimmune disorders that seems to run dominantly in families. However, family members can also be affected by different disorders.
For instance, one person may have diabetes while the other person might get rheumatoid arthritis.
3. Infection
Some disorders seem to be worsened or triggered by specific infections.
4. Sex Hormones
The autoimmune disorders usually tend to strike mostly during the childbearing years. Some disorders seem to be affected for worse or for the better, by massive hormonal changes such as menopause, pregnancy, and childbirth.
5. Environmental Factors
There are various environmental factors that can trigger autoimmune diseases in a person as well. These along with genetic factors majorly contribute to a person getting affected with one.
Treating Autoimmune Disease
Here is a list of steps that you can try out for treating Autoimmune Diseases:
- Check out for any hidden infections. Infections such as Lyme, Yeast, Bacteria, Viruses, etc. These can trigger autoimmune diseases and need treatment as such.
- You also need to get checked for food allergies. Try incorporating a proper diet as well to prevent Autoimmune disease altogether.
- You also need to make sure that you are getting tested for Celiac disease. This is a type of blood test that your doctor can perform.
- Increase your intake of nutrients like fish oil, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and other forms of probiotics to help calm down your immune system naturally.
- You can incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Make a practice of doing breathing exercises and yoga to control your immune responses.
FAQs
Here is a list of some of the most frequently asked questions regarding Autoimmune disorders:
A: The exact cause of why this happens is still unknown. There’s this one theory that some of the micro-organisms or certain kinds of drugs can trigger some changes that confuse the immune system and that in turn can cause autoimmune disorders.
A: The autoimmune disorders are of such a nature – that they cannot be cured. But certainly to an extent the condition can be controlled in many cases. There are a lot of treatments that are known to control autoimmune diseases.
A: A healthy form of the immune system defends the body against various infections and diseases. But if it so happens that the immune system malfunctions, then it mistakenly attacks the healthy organs, tissues, and cells.
To Wrap It Up!
If you think that you might be affected by one, you must make sure to consult a medical professional. That was all for information regarding Autoimmune Disorders. Thank you for reading up till here. I hope you found the information useful.
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