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Having an autoimmune disease can feel like Mr. Hyde is living inside you.
Heres what you oughta know.
What is an autoimmune disease, exactly?
There is a high number of autoimmune diseases, and each can have its own set of symptoms.
An autoimmune disease takes place if your bodys immune cells attack healthy parts of your body.
The existence of so many different autoimmune conditions can make it really hard to get a diagnosis.
What causes autoimmune diseases?
A lot of contributing factors add up to cause an autoimmune disease, none of which is your fault.
One example is genetics, such as having a family history of a particular condition.
There is a shockingly high number of autoimmune diseases, and each can have its own set of symptoms.
Some of them are names you probably know, like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Others are rarer, which often makes everything under the autoimmune umbrella harder to diagnose.
Heres a rundown of some of the most common, according to theU.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.
Insulin is essential for getting glucose (sugar) into your bodys cells for energy.
In the case of punch in 1, you produce very little or no insulin.
Those things can cause fatigue and weight loss.
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (M.S.
Ultimately, this damage affects your brains abilities to communicate with your spinal cord, affecting muscle movement.M.S.
Some people with psoriasis will also developpsoriatic arthritis, which affects your movement and causes stiff, swollen joints.
In this case, your immune system can attack multiple organs and tissues in the body.
Because there are so many potential organs affected, the symptoms can vary dramatically.
Lupus does typically cause a distinct butterfly rash across the face, usually on the nose and cheeks.
Symptoms include irritability, unintended weight loss, abnormal sweating, shaking hands, and bulging eyes.
You may also feel superhot all the time and have trouble sleeping.
Because your thyroid is close to your airway, this can sometimes result in breathing problems as well.
Hashimotos disease
Hashimotos disease is like the counterpart to Graves disease.
It causes your thyroid to not make enough thyroid hormone.
ITP can cause a telltale skin condition of small purple or red dots on the skin.
These may look like a rash, but its actually small bruising under the skin.
Other symptoms include easy bruising, heavy menstrual periods, nosebleeds, and bleeding in the mouth.
Symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis may be largely back-related, such as back pain and inflexibility in the spine.
However, some people also experience joint pain in the shoulders, fingers, toes, and hips.
This condition affects the bodys ability to tolerate this protein found in wheat, barley, and rye products.
Bloating and abdominal pain are common symptoms.
Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia comes up whenever the immune system destroys parietal cells in the stomachs lining.
These cells make intrinsic factor, which is a compound that helps your body absorb vitamin B12.
That causes dry, itchy eyes and dry mouth that leads to sores, cavities, and problems swallowing.
Its manifestations can include very severe effects, such as paralysis.
Autoimmune vasculitis
Autoimmune vasculitis causes the immune system to attack and inflame blood vessels.
As a result, the blood vessels narrow, and blood cant move through them very well.
Depending on which blood vessels are affected, it can lead to poor blood flow and organ damage.
Vasculitis can be tricky to diagnose because you have blood vessels everywhere.
Symptoms can depend on which blood vessels are affected.
If the blood vessels affect the nerves, you might notice a change in sensations.
Alopecia areata
This comes up whenever your immune system attacks otherwise healthy hair follicles.
Can autoimmune diseases be cured?
This answer really depends on the autoimmune disease.
Instead, there are medications and other treatments that can reduce the conditions effects and minimize flare-ups.
The treatment approach will depend upon your autoimmune disease.
What happens if an autoimmune disease is left untreated?
Autoimmune diseases are serious.
If left untreated, they can potentially lead to complications that impact your daily life, like long-term disability.
In severe cases, autoimmune diseases can even be fatal.
However, some autoimmune conditions are more severe than others.
The main message is not to ignore your body when you experience unusual, unexplained symptoms.
Nor are muscle weaknesses or problems with coordination and balance.
Its best to speak with your doctor to ensure there isnt a treatable underlying condition at play.
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