What are autoimmune diseases?

An autoimmune disease is a type of condition wherein the immune system mistakenly attacks the healthy cells of the body because it thinks that the healthy cells are causing the body some harm. For example, the body may think that a part of your skin or your joints is foreign. It would start attacking that part of your body until you start to see the difference.

One of the most common autoimmune diseases is rheumatoid arthritis, which explains why there are some people who are unable to make their joints function normally again. Some people may also become afflicted with Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and so much more. There is no cure for autoimmune diseases, but there are medications and treatments that are available to help people function normally.

Autoimmune diseases are medical conditions in which your immune system fights with your body. This happens because your body's immune system, which is your defense system, sees certain parts of your body as foreign and harmful. In a real sense, this is not the case. Your immune system makes proteins known as “autoantibodies” that fight normal cells of your body.

The exact cause of autoimmune diseases is unknown, but they are more common in women than in men. Some autoimmune diseases can also run in families or common in certain ethnic groups. Some common examples of autoimmune diseases are psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Graves’ disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, pernicious anemia, celiac disease and so much more.

An autoimmune disease is where your immune system becomes confused and mistakes parts of your body as a foreign body. Your antibodies come to attention and attack the body part that they see as a danger. There are many autoimmune diseases, and some can be controlled with medication, although some will ultimately win the battle. Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are treated with biologic medicines, which help delay the progression of the disease.

Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, including Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis, are only a few of the eighty or more autoimmune illnesses that are in existence. No matter what disease is present, they all compromise the quality of life and need medical care to help the person keep their ability to maintain a healthy life.