The immune system of a lot of people are unable to differentiate between healthy cells from invading microorganisms. This is causing more suffering around the world. Their organs and tissue are now being attacked by defenses against disease which they had previously.
International research is being undertaken to counter the growing trend. This includes an initiative at London’s Francis Crick Institute where two world-class experts, James Lee, and Carola Vinuesa have established separate research groups that will determine the root causes of autoimmune diseases.
Lee told the Observer that autoimmune cases started to increase about 40 years ago, in western countries. However, some of these cases are now being seen in countries where they have never had such illnesses before.
For instance it is the Middle East and East Asia are the regions with the most cases of inflammatory intestinal diseases. The patients had never encountered the condition before.
Type 1 diabetes is one of the autoimmune diseases. Other conditions include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel. Each situation is distinct. In all cases the immune system is crossing its wires, and it switches to healthy tissue rather than infectious agents.
The UK is home to at least 4,000,000 patients suffering from these diseases. There are numerous others. In the world, it is believed that the amount of autoimmune diseases is rising by anywhere between 3 and 9 percent each year. Many scientists believe that environmental factors play a key factor in this growth.
Lee who was formerly in Cambridge University, says that the human genetics haven't changed in the last decade. So, something is happening outside of our body that could increase our vulnerability to developing an autoimmune condition.
Vinuesa agreed with the idea having worked previously in the Australian National University. She noted that there had been changes in the diet because more people were eating western-style meals, as well as more fast food.
Vinuesa explains that many fast food foods lack important ingredients like fiber. The change could affect your microbiome, which is the collection micro-organisms found in our bodies and which play an important function in controlling various bodily functions.
The changes in our microbiomes can create autoimmune conditions, of which there are more than 100 types.
They both stressed the importance of individual vulnerability to developing these diseases. Lupus and celiac disease are two more conditions that can trigger swelling and inflammation, which can result in damage to various organs including your heart.
Vinuesa stated "If you don’t have a genetic predisposition to autoimmune disorders there is no guarantee that you'll get one, regardless of the amount of Big Macs you consume." "There's no thing we can do to stop the global spread of fast food franchises. Instead, our focus is in understanding the genetic causes that underlie autoimmune disorders and how some people are more susceptible than others not. "We would like to tackle the issue on a fundamental level."
The development of modern technologies has made it possible to detect tiny variations in the DNA of large numbers of people. This makes it possible to recognize common genetic patterns that are common to individuals suffering from an autoimmune disease.
Lee stated that up until recent, we didn't have the tools needed to identify DNA. However, now we're able to do it and it has transformed everything. My study revealed that there were about six DNA variants that were involved in the development of inflammatory bowel disease. We now know more than 250.
Lee and Vinuesa concentrate their efforts on this type of work. They are keen to find out more about the genetic pathway and find the causes of the various diseases they are studying. Vinuesa says that it is now clear that there are many types of autoimmune conditions, like Lupus. All of them could be caused by various genetic pathways. If you're trying find the best treatment, this can be a problem.
Although there are many potentially effective new therapies in development but we aren't sure the patients they should be offered to. This is because we aren't able to pinpoint the exact type of their illness. That's a key goal for the field of autoimmune research. For the right treatment, it's essential to be able to categorize and categorize patients.
Lee said that the escalating cases of autoimmune diseases across the globe meant that new treatments and drugs were now required more than ever before. There are currently no treatments for autoimmune disease that are most often seen in teens, who are trying to get their first job, finish school, and raise their families.
This means that more people will have to undergo surgery and/or have regular injections throughout their life. This can be extremely stressful for patients, and also stressing the health care system. This is why we need to develop innovative and effective treatments.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune condition. This means the immune system is attacking healthy tissues. But it isn't yet clear the triggers behind it.
Your immune system produces rheumatoid arthritis physiopedia antibodies that fight against viruses and bacteria. This helps you fight infection.
If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis the immune system sends antibodies towards the lining of your joint, where they attack tissues surrounding it.
This causes the thin cell-like layer that covers your joints (synovium), to become irritated and painful this releases chemicals that cause harm around the joint.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue that connects bones.
Tendons are connective tissue that connects bone and muscle.
Ligaments - The tissue that connects bone to cartilage
Rheumatoid arthritis is treatable but it is not treated. The chemicals that cause it cause the joint to become unbalanced Check out and distorted. The chemicals can eventually cause the degeneration of the entire joint.
Although there are numerous theories about how the immune system attacks joints, none have been proven.
Possible risk factors
There are many things which can increase your risk of developing rheumatoid, for example:
Your genes are a factor - there's evidence that rheumatoid arthritis can be passed down through families, but the risk of inheriting it is thought to be very low since genes are believed to play a tiny part in the disease
Hormones-Rheumatoid Ailment is more common among women than in men. This could be due to estrogenic effects, but this isn't confirmed.
Smoking is a risk factor. Some research suggests that smokers are more at risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis.