What is an autoimmune disease?
An autoimmune disease is any disorder that appears due to a genetic error in the genes that code for the structures of the immune system, causing the immune cells to attack healthy cells of the body by mistake.
These autoimmune diseases can affect many different parts of the body depending on how the immune system is dysregulated, with severity ranging from mild to life threatening.
More than 80 different autoimmune diseases are known, which have different symptoms, although there is one common to all: inflammation of the affected areas. This leads to redness, pain, swelling and an increase in temperature in the areas of the body that are being attacked by the immune system itself.
Treatment of such diseases is not available but precautions and regular medication from Rosewellness can help you to live a healthy life again.
What are the most common autoimmune diseases?
These two are the most common autoimmune diseases:
1. Type 1 diabetes
The diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin or the body fails to use the insulin it produces.
It is mainly characterized by the presence of high concentrations of glucose in the blood (hyperglycemia). This occurs due to the alteration in the action of insulin or in the absence of this hormone, which is produced in the pancreas to allow the uptake of glucose by the tissues, which use it as fuel.
Within type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), two fundamental types are distinguished: type 1a DM, of autoimmune origin, and type 1b DM, of an idiopathic nature.
In autoimmune diabetes, the insulin-producing cells – the beta cells of the pancreas – are attacked and destroyed. Lacking insulin, the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins cannot be carried out correctly.
What are the symptoms of type 1 diabetes?
The main symptoms before the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus are:
- Fatigue.
- Weight loss.
- Be intense.
- Continuous production of urine, even at night.
2. Rheumatoid arthritis
The rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that occurs most often between 40 and 60 years. The rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, autoimmune disease, progressive and disabling, characterized by inflammation of the joints and is usually in the hands, wrists, elbows, knees and feet.
The inflammation that occurs in the synovium can lead to the destruction of bone and cartilage, leading to irreparable damage to the joint.
What are the symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis?
The main symptoms before the diagnosis of Rheumatoid arthritis are:
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Inflammation
- Deformity
- difficulty of movement
In at least 60 percent of cases, the causes of rheumatoid arthritis are attributed to genetic factors, that is, by abnormalities in certain genes that predispose to the development of the disease.
For example, it is estimated that 80 percent of people with rheumatoid arthritis have a genetic alteration called a shared epitope, and people who have it are up to 5 times more likely to develop the disease. The genetic factors also make the probability of developing it is higher in people with one or more affected relatives.