How do autoimmune diseases affect the immune system

Some autoimmune disorders include: Diabetes Type I — affects the pancreas. Symptoms include thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and an increased susceptibility to infection. Graves' disease — affects the thyroid gland. Symptoms include weight loss, elevated heart rate, anxiety and diarrhoea. Inflammatory bowel disease — includes ulcerative colitis and possibly, Crohn's disease. Symptoms include diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

Multiple sclerosis — affects the nervous system. Depending on which part of the nervous system is affected, symptoms can include numbness, paralysis and vision impairment.

Psoriasis — affects the skin. Features include the development of thick, reddened skin scales. Rheumatoid arthritis — affects the joints. Symptoms include swollen and deformed joints. The eyes, lungs and heart may also be targeted. Scleroderma — affects the skin and other structures, causing the formation of scar tissue. Features include thickening of the skin, skin ulcers and stiff joints. Systemic lupus erythematosus — affects connective tissue and can strike any organ system of the body.

Symptoms include joint inflammation, fever, weight loss and a characteristic facial rash. Immune system malfunction Immune system cells called T lymphocytes T cells use special receptors on their surfaces to identify foreign microbes, such as bacteria and viruses. Risk factors for autoimmune disorders The exact causes of autoimmune disorders are not known. The risk factors seem to include: genetics — a predisposition to autoimmune disorders seems to run in families.

However, family members can be affected by different disorders; for example, one person may have diabetes, while another has rheumatoid arthritis. It seems that genetic susceptibility alone is not enough to trigger an autoimmune reaction, and other factors must contribute. Some disorders seem to be affected, for better or worse, by major hormonal changes such as pregnancy, childbirth and menopause.

Diagnosis of autoimmune disorders It can be hard to diagnose an autoimmune disorder, especially in its earlier stages and if multiple organs or systems are involved. Depending on the disorder, diagnosis methods may include: physical examination medical history blood tests, including those to detect autoantibodies biopsy x-rays.

Drugs used to treat these conditions include:. Treatments can also help relieve symptoms. More than 80 different autoimmune diseases exist. Often their symptoms overlap, making them hard to diagnose. Blood tests that look for autoantibodies can help doctors diagnose these conditions.

Treatments include medications to calm the overactive immune response and bring down inflammation in the body. Read this article in Spanish. Early lung cancer symptoms may include cough, chest pain, and wheezing. Learn what to be aware of and how early diagnosis and treatment can help. Learn the specific drugs, their uses, risks, and more. Collagen vascular disease is an autoimmune disease. Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma are all types of collagen vascular disease.

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Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Stacy Sampson, D. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body. Normally, the immune system can tell the difference between foreign cells and your own cells. Why does the immune system attack the body? Autoimmune disease symptoms. When to see a doctor.

Tests that diagnose autoimmune diseases. How are autoimmune diseases treated? The bottom line. About Immunosuppressant Drugs. Collagen Vascular Disease. Autoimmune Hepatitis. Read this next. Early Signs of Lung Cancer.

We have more in-depth information on psoriatic arthritis here. With ulcerative colitis, the colon or large intestine are affected. We have more in-depth information on inflammatory bowel arthritis here. Are you experiencing symptoms or have already been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease? If so, contact Dr. Next, read more about 6 Common Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Struggles to get to the clinic? Trying to reduce your exposure to COVID, as well as other contagious illnesses, and still need to see your doctor? Telehealth is safe and easy — receive quality care from anywhere. Beverly Hills rheumatologist Dr. Susan Baker is highly skilled at providing patients the close attention and care they need to help overcome rheumatoid arthritis as much as possible.

She takes a comprehensive approach to disease management and will work One out of every five Americans are affected by autoimmune diseases. That is 20 percent of the population, or 50 million Americans total. The immune system is responsible for protecting the human body from different kinds of germs, bacteria, and viruses.

An autoimmune disease is a classification of disorders that occurs when