Autoimmune diseases

Index

1. What are autoimmune diseases?

2. Prognosis of autoimmune diseases

3. Symptoms of autoimmune diseases

4. Medical tests for autoimmune diseases

5. What are the causes of autoimmune diseases?

6. Can autoimmune diseases be prevented?

7. Treatment for autoimmune diseases

8. Which specialist treats it?

What are autoimmune diseases?

Autoimmune diseases are diseases that attack the body’s healthy cells by mistake.

Some studies estimate that more than 10% of the population suffers from an autoimmune disease. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases, for this reason their diagnosis is difficult. The most common are:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease: where we find Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It is related to a microbe that activates the defenses causing inflammation.
  • Type I diabetes: the pancreatic cells in charge of producing insulin (necessary for the body to use the glucose the body receives) are attacked by the body’s defenses. It usually appears in childhood or young adulthood.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis: disease in which the joints are affected.
  • Celiac disease: in which the small intestine is affected. The sufferer reacts to gluten by suffering lesions in the lining of the intestine.
  • Lupus: can affect any organ, but the most frequent are the skin and joints.
  • Others are less frequent, such as some thyroid disorders, pernicious anemia, Addison’s disease or vitiligo.

There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases.

Prognosis of the disease

Although autoimmune diseases are chronic, the autoimmune process can usually be modulated and even slowed down, avoiding the continuous interaction between genes and the environment.

Early detection can prevent or delay irreversible damage to organs or tissues.

Symptoms of autoimmune diseases

The main symptoms are usually inflammation (which can cause redness, warmth, pain and swelling), fatigue, muscle aches and fever.

Depending on the disease that is present, the symptoms it manifests are:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease: there is usually abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea.
  • Type I diabetes: causes fatigue, extreme thirst and weight loss.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis: its main symptoms are mild joint pain, stiffness and fatigue. In addition, joints may be hot and painful. The most affected areas are the wrists, knees, fingers and ankles.
  • Celiac disease: manifests with abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, weight loss and fatigue.
  • Lupus: it can be difficult to diagnose because it manifests itself in the form of outbreaks. Its symptoms will depend on each case, but the main ones are muscle and joint pain and hair loss. In addition, there is usually atypical coloration of the face, especially the nose and cheeks.
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The symptoms of autoimmune diseases may appear in flares, that is, they appear and disappear intermittently for periods of time.

Medical tests for autoimmune diseases

The first step in detecting an autoimmune disease is to take a complete medical history including family history, lifestyle, prescribed drugs and symptoms. From there, depending on the autoimmune disease detected or suspected, certain tests will be performed:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease: it may require blood and stool analysis, endoscopy, capsule endoscopy, ultrasound, radiological tests.
  • Type I diabetes: diagnosis usually requires a glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) test, a random blood sugar test or a fasting blood sugar test.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis: a blood test and radiological examination of the most affected skeletal segments is performed.
  • Celiac disease: 4 tests are usually performed to diagnose this pathology: serology, genetic testing, duodenal biopsy and gluten-free diet.
  • Lupus: the diagnosis of lupus is often complicated. To determine it, specialists rely on the presence of several criteria that must be present at the same time, such as malar rash, arthritis, blood or neurological disorders, mouth ulcers or serositis, among others.

What are the causes of autoimmune diseases?

The causes of autoimmune diseases are not known, although they tend to be hereditary. In addition, it is possible that some viruses, bacteria and drugs cause certain alterations that lead to their appearance.

African-American, Hispanic-American and American Indian women are at greater risk of suffering from autoimmune diseases.

Can it be prevented?

At this time there is no known way to prevent autoimmune diseases.

Treatments for autoimmune diseases

There are different treatments depending on the autoimmune disease being treated:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease: medication and diet.
  • Type I diabetes: insulin must be administered daily for life.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis: there is no cure.
  • Celiac disease: gluten should be eliminated from the diet.
  • Lupus: medication should be taken to reduce inflammation and pain.

The importance of a balanced diet and regular exercise should be emphasized.

What specialist treats it?

The specialist to treat an autoimmune disease will depend on what type it is; these include internal medicine physicians, immunologists, dermatologists and rheumatologists.