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Autoimmune Diseases
- Project Medify
- Sep 9, 2020
- 6 min read
Abstract: Autoimmune diseases are a category of immune system disorders where there is overactivity of the immune system. The general symptoms of autoimmune diseases include trouble concentrating, a low-grade fever, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, skin rashes, swelling and redness, and the most tolling of all, fatigue. Though there are no cures for autoimmune diseases, symptom management allows people to live as normal of a life as possible.
What are Autoimmune Diseases?
Autoimmune diseases are a category of immune system disorders. Immune system disorders result in low activity or overactivity of the immune system. When there is overactivity of the immune system, the body attacks itself, which is considered an autoimmune disease. Though the immune system is hyperactive, it is still deficient in fighting pathogens, which increases a person's vulnerability to infection.
The normal immune response is when an invader, such as a virus or bacteria, enters the body. Lymphocytes, or immune cells, create antibodies to fight the invader. When a person has an autoimmune disease, any part of the invader, or foreign substance, that resembles a bodily substance ends up changing normal body cells. As a result, lymphocytes, which are also body cells, malfunction and make abnormal antibodies. These antibodies are ineffective at fighting against pathogens and harm the body.
General Symptoms
The general symptoms of autoimmune diseases include trouble concentrating, a low-grade fever, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, skin rashes, swelling and redness, and the most tolling of all, fatigue. With some diseases, patients will see pain and swelling in the muscles or joints, abdominal pain, digestive issues, dizziness, swollen glands, and fluctuations in weight. Usually, these symptoms will follow a pattern of relapsing and remitting where the disease will unpredictably worsen, improve, and worsen again. Flares, which are a sudden onset of severe symptoms, may also occur. Doctors use these patterns to evaluate whether a patient could potentially have an autoimmune disease.
Specific Diseases
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE or Lupus)
People suffering from lupus may experience years of symptoms, which include red rashes, extreme fatigue, swollen joints, and fevers before a physician is able to diagnose them. Lupus is diagnosed using an antinuclear antibody (ANA) blood test, which identifies autoantibodies attacking the patient’s own tissues and cells.
Symptoms
Symptoms specific to lupus include extreme fatigue and headaches, weight gain or loss, ulcers inside the mouth and nose, a malar (butterfly) rash across nose and cheeks, and unexplained rashes that may turn to sores or lesions, then scar. Additional symptoms are hair loss, pleurisy, in which pain in the chest occurs with deep breathing, photosensitivity, in which a patient is sensitive to the sun or light (and this may cause or worsen rashes), and Raynaud's disease, in which a patient’s fingers turn blue or white when they are cold.
The most noticeable symptom of lupus are lesions and rashes that develop on the skin. When lupus only manifests on the skin, it is called cutaneous lupus. There are three types: chronic cutaneous, subacute cutaneous, and acute cutaneous. Chronic cutaneous lupus, also known as discoid lupus erythematosus, results in red, inflamed lesions usually around the face, ears, and scalp. In subacute cutaneous lupus, patients see scaly patches with distinct borders occurring on sun-exposed areas, but less on the face. Patients with acute cutaneous lupus see flattened areas of red, like a sunburn, on the face, an example being a butterfly rash. Acute cutaneous lupus is the skin flare that occurs with SLE.
Treatment
There is no cure for lupus, but treatment aims to control autoimmune response, limit inflammation and organ damage, and relieve symptoms. Common treatments include drug therapy, such as anti-inflammatory drugs and immune system modulators, lifestyle moderation, which includes weight loss and protection from the sun, acupuncture and other alternative treatments, and physical therapy.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a confusing disease because each case is different, and one patient's symptoms could be completely different from another's. In this autoimmune disorder, the immune system mainly attacks cells in the hand, wrist, and knee joints. With this disease, problems may arise in the eyes, heart, and lungs. Some long-term effects of the disease's persistent inflammation are progressive loss of mobility, pain, and joint deformity.
Symptoms
Early symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. Morning stiffness, fatigue, and a mild fever are also common. As the disease progresses, joint tissues can become tethered. Erosion and loss of cartilage, ligaments, and bone can lead to the joint losing its shape and alignment, known as joint deformity. More effects of rheumatoid arthritis are ulnar deviation, the displacement of fingers that causes them to abnormally bend towards the pinky finger, and hyperextended joints. Inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis can affect other areas. Non-joint related complications include rheumatoid nodules, pleuritis, pericarditis, vasculitis, and scleritis.
Treatment
Treatment usually includes a combination of medications. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, more commonly known as NSAIDs, help reduce pain and inflammation in patients with mild to moderate rheumatoid arthritis. Corticosteroid drugs can relieve pain and inflammation in the short-term and in the long-term, it can slow joint damage. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can alter a patient’s immune response and slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are a type of DMARDs. Biological response modifiers are another class of DMARDs, and they target specific parts of the immune system. Physical therapy is also an important part of treatment and complementary and alternative medicines can be helpful.
Possible Causes
An autoimmune disorder may develop due to an infectious disease. In some cases, a component of a virus of bacteria that resembles a protein in the body could alter the cellular functioning of lymphocytes. In other cases, the infection could upregulate the immune system. Environmental factors, such as sunlight and chemical exposure or vitamin D deficiency, may influence the body to develop an autoimmune disease. Some gut bacteria can trigger an autoimmune disease in certain people. Genetic factors also may increase the chances of a person to develop an autoimmune disorder. A myriad of autoimmune diseases run in families, though the intensity of the disease can vary from member to member. New research is studying specific genes that may trigger autoimmune diseases.
Risk Factors
A risk factor is anything that increases the chance of developing a disease. Sex is a risk factor for autoimmune disease because most conditions are more common in women. In addition, hormones can affect flares of symptoms in autoimmune diseases. Age is another risk factor since many autoimmune disorders appear around 20-35 years, which are the childbearing years. Being overweight increases the risk of developing particular disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. Scientists have also found links between specific diseases and ethnicity and geography. Smoking is also a risk factor because tobacco use is linked to the development of lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism, and multiple sclerosis. Certain medications can also increase the risk of developing an autoimmune disease, as is the case with drug-induced lupus.
Treatment & Coping
Treatment of autoimmune diseases consists of system management, hormone replacement, controlling inflammation, and preventing any further complications. People with autoimmune diseases can cope by eating a healthy diet, practicing good sleep hygiene, creating a routine, exercising, practicing stress management, and identifying the triggers associated with symptom flares.
Recent Research
The NIEHS (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) has discovered information regarding autoimmune diseases. This research could be essential to developing cures for and preventing certain diseases. Scientists found that sunlight exposure is associated with autoimmune disease. They also found that childhood poverty is linked to rheumatoid arthritis in adulthood. Usually, children in a lower socioeconomic status have parents who smoke, so the children are more likely to smoke as adults. Another finding was that agricultural chemicals were related to rheumatoid arthritis. The NIEHS also discovered that organic mercury may trigger autoimmune diseases. Scientists were able to identify the genetic factors involved in autoimmune diseases affecting the muscles. Furthermore, gene-environment interactions, specifically those with cigarette smoke, were tied to rheumatoid arthritis. The final finding is that nutrition plays a role in the development of autoimmune diseases.
Autoimmune diseases have many symptoms and are broad in their effects on the body. Though there are no cures for autoimmune diseases, symptom management allows people to live as normal of a life as possible. More research into autoimmune diseases will hopefully provide additional information on treatments and causes.
Sources
Eustice, Carol. “Symptoms of Rheumatoid
Arthritis.” Verywell Health, Dotdash, 11 May 2020,
Eustice, Carol. “What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?” Verywell Health, Dotdash, 08 June 2020,
Jewett-Tennant, Jeri. “Signs and Symptoms of Lupus.” Verywell Health, Dotdash, 12 July 2019,
Jewett-Tennant, Jeri. “What Is Lupus?” Verywell Health, Dotdash, 08 July 2020,
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. “Autoimmune Diseases” NIEHS, 06 May
Shomon, Mary. “An Overview of Autoimmune Diseases.” Verywell Health, Dotdash, 07 Dec. 2019,
Shomon, Mary. “Symptoms of Autoimmune Diseases.” Verywell Health, Dotdash, 02 Apr. 2020,
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