Immune system disorder
| Autoimmune diseases | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Young woman with the typical "butterfly rash" found in lupus | |
| Specialty | Rheumatology, immunology, gastroenterology, other |
| Symptoms | Depends on the condition. Commonly low grade fever, feeling tired |
| Usual onset | Adulthood |
| Types | Celiac disease, diabetes mellitus type 1, Graves disease, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus |
| Medication | Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppressants, intravenous Immunoglobulin |
| Frequency | 24 million / 7% (USA) |
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| External resources |
An autoimmune disease is a condition arising from an abnormal immune response to a normal body part. There are at least 80 types of autoimmune diseases. Nearly any body part can be involved. Common symptoms include low grade fever and feeling tired. Often symptoms come and go.
The cause is generally unknown. Some autoimmune diseases such as lupus run in families, and certain cases may be triggered by infections or other environmental factors. Some common autoimmune disease include celiac disease, diabetes mellitus type 1, Graves disease, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. The diagnosis can be difficult to determine.
Treatment depends on the type and severity of the condition. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and immunosuppressants are often used.Intravenous Immunoglobulin may also occasionally be used. While treatment usually improves symptoms they do not typically cure the disease.
About 24 million (7%) people in the United States are affected by an autoimmune disease. Women are more commonly affected than men. Often they start during adulthood. The first autoimmune diseases were described in the early 1900s.
For a disease to be regarded as an autoimmune disease it needs to answer to Witebsky's postulates (first formulated by Ernest Witebsky and colleagues in 1957 and modified in 1994):
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