autoimmune diseases list

autoimmune diseases list:

autoimmune diseases list | An autoimmune disease is a condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body. The immune system protects the body from germs such as bacteria and viruses.

When the body senses germs and viruses, it sends out a lot of fighting cells to attack them. The immune system can tell the difference between foreign cells and your own cells. Learn about the symptoms of immunodeficiency .

In an autoimmune disease, the immune system mistakes a part of your body, such as your joints or skin, as foreign. It releases proteins called autoantibodies that attack healthy cells.

Some autoimmune diseases target only one organ. Like type 1 diabetes it damages the pancreas. Other diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), affect the whole body.

Why does the immune system attack the body (autoimmune diseases list)?

Autoimmune disease of unknown exact cause:

• Doctors don’t know exactly what causes the immune system to malfunction.
• According to a 2014 study, women develop autoimmune diseases at a rate of 6.4 percent for women versus 2.7 percent for men.
• The disease often begins during a woman’s reproductive years (15 to 44 years).
• Some autoimmune diseases are more common in some ethnic groups. For example, lupus affects more African Americans and Hispanics than Caucasians.
• Some autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and lupus, run in families. Not every family member has the same disease, but they do inherit susceptibility to autoimmune conditions.
• Given the high incidence of autoimmune diseases, researchers suspect that environmental factors such as infections and exposure to chemicals or solvents may be causative.
• The ‘Western diet’ is another suspected risk factor for an autoimmune disease.
• Eating high-fat, high-sugar, and highly processed foods is thought to be associated with inflammation, which may trigger an immune response. However, this has not been proven.
• And the 2015 study focused on another theory called the hygiene hypothesis.
• Because of vaccines and disinfectants, children today are not exposed to as many germs as they were in the past.
• There are more than 80 different autoimmune diseases.

Types of Autoimmune Diseases (autoimmune diseases list):

Type 1 diabetes (autoimmune diseases list):

Type 1 diabetes is a type of autoimmune disease:

• The pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels.
• In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
• The results of high blood sugar can damage blood vessels, as well as organs such as the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.
• Symptoms of diabetes.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (autoimmune diseases list):

Rheumatism or arthritis is one of the types of autoimmune diseases:

• In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the immune system attacks the joints.
• This attack causes redness, warmth, pain, and stiffness in the joints.
• Unlike osteoarthritis, which usually affects people as they get older, RA can start as early as their 30s or earlier.

Psoriasis (psoriatic arthritis) (autoimmune diseases list):

Psoriasis is a form of psoriatic arthritis and is classified as an autoimmune disease:

• Skin cells usually grow and then shed when they are not needed. Psoriasis causes skin cells to multiply too quickly.
• The excess cells accumulate and form red, inflamed patches, usually with silvery-white scales of plaque on the skin.
• Up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis also experience swelling, stiffness, and pain in the joints.
• This form of the disease is called psoriatic arthritis.

Multiple sclerosis (autoimmune diseases list):

Multiple sclerosis may affect body parts and is considered an autoimmune disease:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) damages the myelin sheath, the protective coating that surrounds nerve cells in the central nervous system.
• Damage to the myelin sheath slows down the speed at which messages are sent between the brain and spinal cord to and from the rest of the body.
• This damage can lead to symptoms such as numbness, weakness, balance problems, and difficulty walking.
• The disease comes in many forms and progresses at different rates.
• According to a 2012 study, about 50 percent of people with multiple sclerosis need help walking within 15 years after the disease begins.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (autoimmune diseases list):

Lupus erythematosus is a type of autoimmune disease:

• Although physicians in the 19th century first described lupus as a skin disease due to the rash it commonly produces.
• The systemic form, which is the most common, however, actually affects many organs, including the joints, kidneys, brain, and heart.
• Joint pain, fatigue, and a rash are the most common symptoms.

Inflammatory bowel disease (autoimmune diseases list):

Enteritis is classified as autoimmune diseases:

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term used to describe conditions that cause inflammation in the lining of the intestinal wall.
• Each type of IBD affects a different part of the digestive system.
• Crohn’s disease can inflame any part of the digestive system, from the mouth to the anus.
• Ulcerative colitis only affects the lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum.

Addison’s disease (autoimmune diseases list):

Addison disease, an autoimmune disease:

• Addison’s disease affects the adrenal glands, which produce the hormones cortisol and aldosterone, as well as androgen hormones.
• Eating too little cortisol can affect the way your body uses and stores carbohydrates and sugar (glucose).
• Aldosterone deficiency will result in a loss of sodium and an increase in potassium in the bloodstream.
• Symptoms include weakness, fatigue, weight loss, and low blood sugar.

Graves’ disease (autoimmune diseases list):

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease:

• Graves’ disease attacks the thyroid gland in the neck, causing it to produce too many of its hormones.
• Thyroid hormones control the body’s energy use, known as metabolism.
• Having too many of these hormones causes the body to become more active, causing symptoms such as nervousness, rapid heartbeat, heat intolerance, and weight loss.
• One of the possible symptoms of this disease is bulging eyes, called exophthalmos.
• It can occur as part of what’s called Graves’ ophthalmopathy, which occurs in about 30 percent of those with Graves’ disease, according to a 1993 study.

Sjögren’s syndrome (autoimmune diseases list):

Sjogren’s syndrome is classified as an autoimmune disease:

• This condition attacks the glands that provide lubrication to the eyes and mouth.
• The characteristic symptoms of Sjögren syndrome are dry eyes and dry mouth, but it may also affect the joints or the skin.
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis:
• In Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, thyroid hormone production slows down to a deficiency.
• Symptoms include weight gain, sensitivity to cold, fatigue, hair loss, and a swollen thyroid gland (goiter).

Myasthenia gravis (autoimmune diseases list):

Myasthenia gravis from autoimmune diseases:

• Myasthenia gravis affects nerve impulses that help the brain control muscles.
• When nerve-to-muscle communication is impaired, signals cannot direct the muscle to contract.
• The most common symptom is muscle weakness that worsens with activity and improves with rest.
• The muscles that control eye movements, eyelid opening, swallowing, and facial movements are often affected.

Immune vasculitis (autoimmune diseases list):

Vasculitis is one of the most common autoimmune diseases:

• Autoimmune vasculitis occurs when the immune system attacks the blood vessels.
• The resulting inflammation narrows the arteries and veins, allowing blood to flow through them.

Pernicious anemia (autoimmune diseases list):

Pernicious anemia is classified as an autoimmune disease:

• This condition is caused by a deficiency of a protein, which is made by the cells of the stomach lining, known as the intrinsic factor needed for the small intestine to absorb vitamin B12 from food.
• Without enough of this vitamin, one will develop anemia, and the body’s ability to synthesize proper DNA will change.
• Pernicious anemia is more common in the elderly.
• According to a 2012 study, it affects 0.1 percent of people overall, but nearly 2 percent of people over the age of 60.

Celiac disease (autoimmune diseases list):

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease:

• People with celiac disease cannot eat foods that contain gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and other grain products.
• When gluten is in the small intestine, the immune system attacks this part of the digestive system and causes inflammation.
• Celiac disease affects about 1 percent of people in the United States.
• More people reported sensitivity to gluten, which is not an autoimmune disease, but can have similar symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Autoimmune symptoms:

• Type 1 diabetes causes extreme thirst, weight loss and fatigue.
• Inflammatory bowel disease causes abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea. With autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis, symptoms may come and go. The period of symptoms is called a seizure.
• Symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, swelling, and redness are signs of an autoimmune disease. Symptoms may come and go over time.