Understanding autoimmune diseases

AdobeStock-1207924761.jpeg

When your immune system does its job correctly, it helps protect your body against bacteria and viruses that can cause illness. But sometimes, your immune system mistakes otherwise healthy parts of your body — like your joints or your skin — as foreign cells and sends out proteins to attack them. This immune system overactivity is what causes an autoimmune disease. Some autoimmune diseases only target one part of the body, while others affect the whole body.

Doctors and scientists don’t know what causes the immune system to attack healthy cells, but risk factors for developing an autoimmune disease include genetics, diet, weight, serious bacterial or viral infections (like E.coli, Hepatitis C and measles), smoking and chemical exposure. Autoimmune diseases are also becoming increasingly common, and are estimated to affect anywhere from 24 to 50 million people in the United States.

The most-common autoimmune diseases

According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, there are more than 100 autoimmune diseases that affect a wide range of body parts. Some of the most common are:

• Rheumatoid arthritis. A condition where the immune system attacks the joints, which causes inflammation, swelling, pain and, if left untreated, permanent joint damage. Rheumatoid arthritis is different than osteoarthritis, which commonly affects older adults.
• Lupus. Occurs when the body produces autoimmune antibodies that attach to various tissues throughout the body, including the joints, lungs, blood cells, nerves and kidneys.
• Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease, where the immune system attacks the intestinal lining and causes diarrhea, bleeding, abdominal pain, fever and weight loss.
• Multiple sclerosis or MS. Happens when the body’s immune system attacks healthy nerve cells, which can cause several symptoms including pain, weakness, poor coordination, muscle spasms and even blindness.
• Type 1 diabetes. Happens when the immune system destroys the cells that make insulin in the pancreas. Symptoms can appear suddenly and include increased thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, unintended weight loss, fatigue or weakness and blurred vision.
• Psoriasis. A more visible autoimmune disorder that occurs when immune system blood cells collect in the skin, which causes skin cells to reproduce much faster than normal and leads to silvery, scaly plaques on the skin.
• Graves’ disease. Diagnosed when immune system antibodies stimulate the thyroid gland to overproduce the thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism), which can cause weight loss, irritability, rapid heart rate and more.
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Produces the opposite effect of Grave’s disease. Immune system antibodies attack the thyroid gland and destroy the cells that produce the thyroid hormone, which significantly lowers their levels (hypothyroidism) over a period of months to years. Symptoms can include fatigue, depression, dry skin, weight gain and sensitivity to cold.

Symptoms of autoimmune diseases

It can be difficult to diagnose autoimmune diseases because there is still so much doctors don’t know. However, different autoimmune diseases affect different parts of the body, so early symptoms are often the same across the board. These can include a combination of:

• Tiredness or fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Joint pain and swelling
• Skin problems like recurrent rashes
• Muscle aches
• Hair loss
• Gastrointestinal distress and abdominal pain
• Recurring fever
• Swollen glands
• Unexplained weight gain or loss

If you experience any of these symptoms suddenly, or they come and go at random, it’s best to speak to your primary care provider (PCP). They can order a blood test that looks for levels of antinuclear antibodies — the antibodies that attack healthy cells. However, this test, even if it’s positive, will only tell you that you might have an autoimmune disease — and can’t tell you which one.

Treatments for autoimmune diseases

There are no known cures for autoimmune diseases. Most treatment plans aim to reduce pain and inflammation with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen. Your doctor may want to help control your overactive immune system with immunosuppressing drugs, which are often highly regulated and expensive treatments that may require prior approval from your health insurance company.

There are also treatments that help manage certain symptoms like digestive pain, swelling and skin rashes. Doctors may also suggest making some lifestyle changes, such as modifying your diet and exercise routine, to help relieve symptoms.

Working with your health care provider

Diagnosing an autoimmune disease can be an extremely difficult process, which is why having a good relationship with your PCP is important. Your PCP knows you and your health history and may be able to refer you to specific specialists who can help treat your symptoms. If you don't have a PCP, you can find one in your network by using the tools available with myWellmark. You can also use myWellmark to advocate for your health, check costs before appointments, review claims and stay up-to-date on your health plan.