Autoimmune Diseases: Symptoms, Risk Factors, And Treatments

Depending upon the severity of the disease, an autoimmune disease can affect almost every part of the body or system. There are more than identifiable conditions that can be classified under the category of autoimmune. Some of the common examples of auto immune diseases include hypothyroidism, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The experts’ definition of autoimmune diseases consists of the immune system attacking some healthy tissues in one or more organs in your body. If you feel that you may have one of the autoimmune conditions, you should look for ‘autoimmune diseases doctor near me’ online and get an appointment with them for further clarity.

 

Risk factors for autoimmune diseases

While this kind of disease can hit just about anybody regardless of the immunity or lifestyle levels, few people pose a greater risk for autoimmune. Here is a list of risk factors that you must consider while checking for autoimmune diseases.

Genetics: If you or anyone in your family has had an autoimmune disease before, the chances are that you will get the same. However, it does not hold for all illnesses. If your genes are exposed to this kind of defect, you may pose a risk for the same in the future with a combination of triggers. Hence, it makes sense to avoid these issues and get a consultation from the best doctors in the field.

Environmental factors: Some environmental factors like sunlight, exposure to specific chemicals, viral and bacterial infections can affect the development of an autoimmune disease. It is best that you feel the symptoms of any autoimmune disease arising out of the blue. You should look for an ‘autoimmune specialist near me’ online and get an appointment from them. They will be able to elaborate on the environmental factors that can harm you.

Sex: Believe it or not, but the studies suggest that women are more prone to developing these issues during the childbearing years than men. It primarily happens because of the change in hormones during these years.

Race: Studies suggest that white people are more prone to diseases like type 1 diabetes, and people of Hispanic and African American races run a higher risk of illness like Lupus.

Symptoms and diagnosis

Most of the time, the symptoms of one type of autoimmune overlap with the other, and it may cause an issue in deciphering the real problem at hand. For example, both Lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis can cause pain in the knees. one way to truly understand the type of disease is to contact an autoimmune specialist and get them to perform a blood test on you. A complete blood count test allows the doctor to check the levels of white and red blood cells in the body. When the immune system is fighting off something, the stories are different from the usual baseline.

Once you get the results of the blood tests, the doctor will decipher a lot from the reports. The next step is to move on to other tests to help identify inflammation in various parts of the body. It helps in narrowing down the autoimmune that you may have taken over your body. Other steps in the process include:

  • Taking down the family history.
  • Recording the increase and decrease in the symptoms over a period.
  • Asking for different opinions for better clarity.

Treatment

While there is no cure for any autoimmune condition, treatments can reduce or eliminate symptoms, slow the progression of the illness, and improve the quality of life.

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