Autoimmune diseases are conditions whose clinical manifestations are caused by an overactive immune system. Autoimmune diseases can be systemic and include pathological changes in several organs and systems of the body or organ-specific – when the manifestations are limited to a single organ of the body. The pathological mechanisms that promote the development of autoimmune diseases are not fully understood, but autoimmune diseases often occur as a result of viral or bacterial infection and repeated exposure to toxic substances.
The main role of the immune system is represented by the ability to generate defense mechanisms of the body in contact with viral or bacterial pathogens, to limit the spread of infection and destroy the factors that caused it. In certain situations, however, the immune system reacts exacerbated and destroys the “self” (own organism) cells, being misled by the molecular similarities presented by the pathogen in relation to different tissues and structures of the body.
Why do autoimmune diseases occur?
Risk factors contributing to the downgrading of autoimmune diseases
Signs and symptoms associated with the most common autoimmune diseases
What are the most common autoimmune diseases?
Type I insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
Why do autoimmune diseases occur?
Bacterial, viral and fungal infections are the main causes of human autoimmune diseases studied to date. The similarities between the protein structure of the pathogen that induces the appearance of an infectious process and some of the body’s tissues can lead to the appearance of an exacerbated inflammatory immune response or the development of an autoimmune pathology with a long chronic evolution.
Among the most common pathogens involved in the development of autoimmune diseases are coronavirus, herpesvirus, beta-hemolytic streptococcus and enteropathogenic bacteria specific to the intestinal tract. Streptococcal M protein causes an aberrant immune response that favors the development of rheumatic fever, while Epstein Barr virus, Influenzae virus, Human papillomavirus, Rubella virus and Herpes type 6 may be responsible for the development of multiple sclerosis. Salmonella typhi and Yersinia enetrocolitica are enopathogenic bacteria that may be involved in the development of reactive arthritis, and Borrelia burgdorferi may favor the development of Lyme arthritis.
Another cause of autoimmune pathologies is exposure to chemicals and toxic substances, which can occur as early as intrauterine development. Toxic chemicals are ubiquitous (found all around us) and can directly or indirectly promote damage to various systems and organs through the formation of autoantigens and neoantigens synthesized by the immune system as a result of prolonged exposure.
Similarly, food contains an increased amount of colorings, preservatives or various flavorings, toxic chemicals that after ingestion induce the development of individual sensitivity or allergy to a particular type of food.
Risk factors contributing to the downgrading of autoimmune diseases
The main risk factors contributing to autoimmune diseases are:
- Personal history of autoimmune disease
- Repeated exposure to various toxic substances in the environment or in the diet
- Obesity
- Chronic infections of various etiologies
- Increased ingestion of medicinal substances
- Genetic predisposition
- Smoking.
Signs and symptoms associated with the most common autoimmune diseases
The clinical picture of people diagnosed with this type of pathology is composed of manifestations that vary depending on the organic or systemic damage of the disease, but there are certain symptoms common to this type of disease represented by:
- Chronic fatigue
- Fever or sub-febrile state
- Myalgia (muscle pain) or arthralgia (joint pain)
- Inappetence (lack of appetite)
- Edema in the affected tissues
- Skin rashes of various appearances
- Adenopathy (inflammation of certain lymph node groups).
What are the most common autoimmune diseases?
Among the most common autoimmune diseases encountered in medical practice are:
- Cardiovascular autoimmune diseases – myocarditis, rheumatic carditis, autoimmune cardiomyopathy, vasculitis, Wegener’s granulomatosis, autoimmune haemolytic anemia, autoimmune thrombocytopenia, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.
- Pulmonary autoimmune pathologies – pulmonary cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, SLE.
- Autoimmune diseases of the digestive tract – ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis.
- Autoimmune skin diseases – alopecia areata, discoid lupus, psoriasis, pemphigus, vitiligo, scleroderma.
- Nervous system disorders – chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis.
- Autoimmune renal diseases – Wegener’s granulomatosis, SLE, glomerulonephritis.
- Autoimmune diseases of the locomotor system – mixed connective tissue disease, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile arthritis, myasthenia gravis, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, polymyalgia rheumatica.
- Autoimmune endocrine diseases – Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis, type I diabetes, Addison’s disease, Graves’ disease.
Type I insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease caused by immune-mediated destruction of pancreatic cells responsible for insulin synthesis. The decrease in the ability of the pancreas to synthesize insulin favors the appearance of hyperglycaemic states, with damage over time to the cardiovascular and renal systems, the eyes and peripheral nerves. Type I diabetes is commonly diagnosed in children and young adults, and patients require lifelong treatment with injectable insulin.
Learn more:
- Autoimmune Diseases, Anne Davidson, Betty Diamond, The New England Journal of Medicine – https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200108023450506
- Autoimmune disease: why and where it occurs, Philippa Marrack, John Kappler, Brian L. Kotzin – https://www.nature.com/articles/nm0801_899
- Human autoimmune diseases: a comprehensive update, Lifeng Wang, Fu-Sheng Wang, M. Eric Gershwin – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joim.12395
- The epidemiology of autoimmune diseases, Glinda S. Cooper, Berrit C. Stroehla, Science Direct – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568997203000065
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