Auto-aggressive diseases: lupus, Hashimoto's, type 1 diabetes, RA, Graves' disease are the result of the immune system attacking its own tissues. They occur more and more often and in increasingly younger people. Medicine is still helpless against them.

What makes you developautoimmune disease,commonly known asautoimmune disease ? Usually, the immune system (immune) recognizes and fights foreign bodies faultlessly. Lymphocytes - a type of leukocytes, or white blood cells - play a major role in this process.

If germs overcome the first lines of defense (skin and mucous membranes that line various organs) and enter the body, leukocytes called macrophages circulate in the blood to absorb the microorganism, digest it, breaking it down into very small fragments, the so-called antigens and analyze its composition.

After this treatment, B lymphocytes readily recognize the virus components as foreign and start producing antibodies (immunoglobulins) against a specific antigen to kill the virus or bacteria.

Antibodies are made of proteins and have the shape of the letter Y. They attach their arms to the intruder and neutralize him or prepare him to become easy prey for macrophages. The diagnosis of the antigen and the production of antibodies is accompanied by inflammation - for example, we suffer from influenza. With an adequate supply of lymphocytes in the body, the battle is won.

Autoimmune diseases: the immune system attacks he althy cells

The immune system intervenes when a cell is damaged or changes its characteristics, for example as a result of aging or disease. Then the immune system activates complex repair mechanisms.

Eliminates fragments of old cells or those changed by disease, so that new and he althy tissues can be formed in their place. It is accompanied by slight inflammatory processes and autoantibodies directed against the damaged own tissues are produced. They are present in the body for a while and then disappear.

The number of new autoantibodies increases with age, especially in people in their sixties, but this does not always result in an illness.

Many cells of a he althy person, mainlybelonging to the immune system, has on its surface certain specific proteins (so-called histocompatibility antigens), characteristic for a given organism or species.

Their main role is the so-called presentation of antigens to T lymphocytes - when they recognize an antigen as foreign, they trigger the inflammatory cascade and stimulate B lymphocytes to produce antibodies. The defense system recognizes histocompatibility antigens as self, so it does not attack them and do not make antibodies against them. This phenomenon is called immune tolerance to self antigens.

The problem starts when this tolerance is broken. Then the immune system responsible for fighting germs and diseased cells begins to recognize its own he althy cells as foreign or damaged and to produce antibodies against them.

Tissues labeled as an enemy have no chance of defense. They are systematically attacked by food cells (macrophages) and lymphocytes. This leads to chronic inflammation and, consequently, permanent damage to tissues and organs. Developsautoimmune disease,commonly known asautoimmune disease .

Why does the body turn against itself?

There are several theories that try to explain the cause of autoimmune disease, but it is not known exactly why the body turns against itself. The reason may be viruses, e.g. myocarditis, influenza, hepatitis and others, which have the ability to enter the body's cells.

The immune system begins to treat them as an intruder, so it immediately destroys them to save the body. Another theory is that certain antigens of the virus and bacteria are similar, and that of humans. As a result, antibodies made to fight germs can attack your own tissues. Immunodeficiency can also contribute to autoimmunity.

Many scientists associate autoimmune diseases with a genetic predisposition. It has been observed that people with the B27 antigen have a greater risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis compared to the incidence of the disease in those who do not have the gene.

Similarly, people with DR3 / DR4 antigens have a higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes, and people with DR2 have a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

Certainly autoimmune diseases are not hereditary diseases, for their occurrence the set of genes is not enough, environmental factors are also needed. An attack on one's own body must have some kind of impulse. Among the factors that can cause a disease or exacerbate its symptoms arecertain medications, prolonged exposure to the sun, trauma, stress.

The element that triggers the excessive activity of white cells is a viral or bacterial infection, even a minor cold. It is possible that some chemical gets into the body that confuses our guards and they take a fight with what they were supposed to guard.

But it is not known why some people are affected by these factors and not others. There are also no studies that would allow to determine the risk of the disease.

Over 80 autoimmune diseases

Scientists have managed to classify more than 80 diseases with autoimmunity. Women suffer from them 2-3 times more often than men. The exception is rheumatoid ankylosing spondylitis, which mainly affects men. Some appear suddenly, others develop slowly.

They often appear in young people under 30, but can occur at any age. Sometimes they occupy one organ, e.g. the thyroid gland (Hashimoto's disease) or the pancreas, other times the cells of many organs of the body are destroyed.

If the white blood cells attack the muscles, it becomes inflamed and then atrophy, if the cells that produce the skin pigment (melanocytes), then characteristic white patches (albinism) appear on the hands, legs and face.

The immune system can destroy the sheaths of nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord (multiple sclerosis) or tissue in the anus and colon (ulcerative colitis).

Diseases with autoimmunity also include some rheumatological diseases, the so-called connective tissue diseases (rheumatism is commonly referred to as degenerative joint diseases that are not autoimmune diseases). People suffering from one autoimmune disease more easily catch another in this group.

Diseases with autoimmunity: incurable or difficult to treat

Most autoimmune diseases are incurable or very difficult to treat. Until scientists manage to answer the question of what is the cause of them, the therapy will mainly come down to inhibiting inflammation and relieving symptoms.

However, if treatment is started in time, there is a greater chance that the disease can be stopped. Anti-inflammatory drugs are used, cytotoxic drugs that kill some lymphocytes, and sometimes steroids. The hope for patients are biological preparations obtained by means of genetic engineering methods, which work by blocking proteins transmitting the signal about inflammation or by destroying lymphocytes involved in the pathogenic process.

They are administered in the form of intravenous infusions or in the form of subcutaneous administrationinjections. Biological therapy leads to a quick remission of the disease and extends the time between the exacerbation of symptoms, improving the quality of life.

Due to the high cost of these drugs in Poland, in the case of rheumatoid arthritis, they are administered when other preparations do not help or the patient cannot take them. In autoimmune diseases, drugs are usually taken throughout life.

Living with an autoimmune disease

You have to learn to live he althy, eat well, move more, rest. For the immune system to function properly, you need to supply it with all the vitamins and minerals. Their treasury is vegetables and fruits, so add them to every meal.

Replace animal fats with vegetable fats. Avoid processed foods, and limit s alt and sugar. Nothing boosts immunity as much as movement, especially in the air. The simplest form of activity is walking, provided you walk 4-5 times a week for at least half an hour. Dress appropriately for the weather - cold and overheating weaken the immune system and promote infections, and you must avoid them. Swim, play tennis, go to the gym.

Control your stress. After a hard day, you can take a bath with your favorite oil or go for a massage - this will relax your muscles and get rid of excess stress hormones. Make time for friends, because research shows that the immune system of people who meet people works for 20 percent. better than recluse.

Try to plan your classes so that you can find time only for yourself and your pleasures every day. Go with the family to the swimming pool or on a trip outside the city, go to the cinema with friends. Remember, lack of sleep disrupts your defense system. People who take a night out are more prone to infection. Toxins contained in exhaust fumes and nicotine smoke can also cause (exacerbate) the symptoms of the disease.

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Immune system