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Auto-Immune
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Understanding Autoimmune
Diseases
Preface:
*text taken from an NIH brochure*
This page contains information about Autoimmune diseases. You will
not find everything there is to know about autoimmune diseases here,
however. In fact, the information presented here may prompt you to
think of more questions about Autoimmune diseases because Autoimmune
diseases are complex.
You will find more in-depth and detailed resources at your local
library or through your health care provider. The Internet is a
valuable source of information. Start by doing a "GoodSearch" for information on Autoimmune disease research conducted by National Institute of Health (NIH).
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What Are Autoimmune Diseases?
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The
word "auto" is the Greek word for self. The immune system is a
complicated network of cells and cell components (called molecules)
that normally work to defend the body and eliminate infections caused
by bacteria, viruses, and other invading microbes. If a person has an
Autoimmune disease, the immune system mistakenly attacks self,
targeting the cells, tissues, and organs of a person's own body. A
collection of immune system cells and molecules at a target site is
broadly referred to as inflammation.
There are many different Autoimmune diseases, and they can each affect
the body in different ways. For example, the Autoimmune reaction is
directed against the brain in multiple sclerosis and the gut in Crohn's
disease. In other Autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus
erythematosus (lupus), affected tissues and organs may vary among
individuals with the same disease. One person with lupus may have
affected skin and joints whereas another may have affected skin,
kidney, and lungs. Ultimately, damage to certain tissues by the immune
system may be permanent, as with destruction of insulin-producing cells
of the pancreas in Type 1 diabetes mellitus.
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Who Is Affected by Autoimmune Diseases?
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Many
of the Autoimmune diseases are rare. As a group, however, Autoimmune
diseases afflict millions of Americans. Most Autoimmune diseases strike
women more often than men; in particular, they affect women of working
age and during their childbearing years.
Some Autoimmune diseases occur more frequently in certain minority
populations. For example, lupus is more common in African-American and
Hispanic women than in Caucasian women of European ancestry. Rheumatoid
arthritis and scleroderma affect a higher percentage of residents in
some Native American communities than in the general U.S. population.
Thus, the social, economic, and health impact from Autoimmune diseases
is far-reaching and extends not only to family but also to employers,
co-workers, and friends.
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What Are the Causes of Autoimmune Diseases? Are they contagious?
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No Autoimmune disease has ever been
shown to be contagious or "catching." Autoimmune diseases do not spread
to other people like infections. They
are not related to AIDS, nor are they a type of cancer.
The genes people inherit contribute to their susceptibility for
developing an Autoimmune disease. Certain diseases such as psoriasis
can occur among several members of the same family. This suggests that
a specific gene or set of genes predisposes a family member to
psoriasis. In addition, individual family members with Autoimmune
diseases may inherit and share a set of abnormal genes, although they
may develop different Autoimmune diseases. For example, one first
cousin may have lupus, another may have dermatomyositis, and one of
their mothers may have rheumatoid arthritis
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