Immunogenetics: Open Access
Open Access

Risk Factors and Common Symptoms of Autoimmune Disorders

Georgi Kasiotes^{* *}Correspondence: Georgi Kasiotes, Department of Infectious Disease, St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College London, UK, Email:

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Description

An autoimmune disorder is a sickness that develops when the immune system reacts abnormally to a healthy body part. There are at least 80 different forms of autoimmune disorders and some data points to the possibility of much more than that number. Any body part can be affected. Low grade fever and fatigue are typically present along with a variety of other mild to severe common symptoms.

Lupus is one example of an autoimmune disorder that runs in families. Infections or other environmental variables may also play a role in some cases. Celiac disease, diabetes mellitus type 1, Graves’ disease, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, alopecia aerate, addison’s disease, pernicious anemia, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematous are a few prevalent illnesses that are typically categorized as autoimmune. The kind and severity of the illness determine the course of treatment. Immune suppressants and Non-steroidal Anti- Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are frequently utilized. Occasionally, intravenous immunoglobulin also is active. Even though treatments frequently reduce symptoms, they seldom end the disease.

The affected area of body determines the symptoms of an autoimmune disease. Inflammation's telltale signs and symptoms, including redness, swelling, heat, and pain, is present in many different forms of autoimmune disorders. The same symptoms can also be brought on by other diseases. Symptoms may become intense for a period during a flareup. After a remission, in which case symptoms get better or go away temporarily.

Causes

The immune system of the body aids in defense against dangerous chemicals. The list includes blood and tissue from the outside of the body, bacteria, viruses, poisons, and cancer cells. Antigens can be found in these substances. These toxic compounds can be eliminated by the immune system. It creates in response to these antigens. Immune system fails to discriminate between healthy tissue and potentially harmful antigens. Because of this, the body starts a reaction that kills healthy tissues.

Autoimmune illnesses have no specific etiology. Medications or microbes cause alterations that cause the immune system to become confused. Abnormally low or excessive immune system activity is caused by disorders of the immune system. The body attacks and damages its own tissues when the immune system is overactive (autoimmune diseases). Immune deficiency diseases make the body less able to defend itself against foreign invaders, making it more susceptible to infections.

The immune system may begin producing antibodies in response to a cause that target the body’s own tissues rather than fighting infections. In most cases, autoimmune diseases are treated by lowering the activity of the immune system.

Risk factors for autoimmune disorders

It is unknown what exactly causes autoimmune disorders. These risk factors:

Genetics: An autoimmune disorder predisposition appears to run in families. Various disorders can affect family members; for instance, one person might have rheumatoid arthritis while another might have diabetes. It would appear that an autoimmune reaction cannot be initiated solely by genetic susceptibility; additional factors must also play a role.

Environmental factors: A family's predisposition to autoimmune disorders may be influenced by a variety of common environmental factors, which also interact with genetic factors.

Gender: Women account for approximately three quarters of people with autoimmune disorders.

Sex hormones: Autoimmune disorders typically occur during pregnancy. Major hormonal shifts like pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause appear to have a negative or positive impact on some disorders.

Infection: Certain infections appear to cause or exacerbate certain disorders.

Common symptoms of autoimmune disease

Autoimmune diseases take many different forms; many of them share similar symptoms. Normal side effects of immune system sickness include: An autoimmune disease is a condition in which immune system attacks body. It can cause fatigue, joint pain and swelling, skin issues, abdominal pain, or digestive issues. It can also cause a swollen glands. It is a multitude of cells to attack these foreign invaders when it detects them. The immune system is usually able to distinguish between own cells and foreign cells. The immune system treats certain parts of the body, like joints or skin, as foreign in an autoimmune disease. Autoantibodies, which are proteins that attack healthy cells, are released. One organ is only affected by some autoimmune diseases.