The majority of people in the world are suffering from an immune system that can't discern between healthy cells, invading bacteria and disease. Immune defenses against disease that used to protect themselves are now attacking their organs and tissues.
This issue is being tackled by large international research efforts. One example of this initiative is at London's Francis Crick Institute. Two world experts, James Lee (from the Americas) as well as Carola Vinuesa (from Italy) have formed separate research groups to pinpoint the precise causes.
Lee stated that cases of autoimmune disease have been on the rise since around 40 years ago, in the west. However, these diseases are now being seen in countries which have never seen them before.
For example it is the Middle East and East Asia are the regions with the most cases of inflammatory bowel disease. Prior to that, they had never seen the disease.
Type 1 diabetes is one of the autoimmune diseases. Other ailments include rheumatoid disease, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel. Each situation is distinct. In every case the immune system crosses its wires and switches on healthy tissue rather than infectious agents.
At least 4,000,000 people suffering from autoimmune disorders in the UK and some suffer from more than one. It is widely believed that the amount of autoimmune disease is increasing by between 3 and 9 percent annually. The reason for this is believed to be caused by environmental factors, as per the majority of scientists.
Lee who was previously in Cambridge University, says that human genetics hasn’t changed over the past 10 years. There must be a change out there and it's leading to an increase in our risk of developing autoimmune disease.
The idea was supported by Vinuesa who was located at the Australian National University. She mentioned the shifts in food habits that took place when more nations adopted west-style diets and people ate more fast food.
Fast-food diets lack certain vital ingredients, for instance fibre. Evidence indicates that this change affects a person's microbiome - the group of micro-organisms we have within our guts and that play a key role in controlling different bodily functions, Vinuesa stated.
These changes to our microbiomes then trigger an autoimmune disease, and more than 100 kinds have been identified.
Both scientists stressed the fact that everyone is susceptible to developing these illnesses including celiac Lupus, and other ailments such as celiac which trigger inflammation and swelling and may cause severe damage to various organs.
Vinuesa clarified that autoimmune diseases aren't something you could be diagnosed with if you don't have a particular genetic susceptibility. "We have no way to slow the growth of fast-food outlets all over the world. Instead, we are trying to understand the genetic causes of autoimmune disease and why certain individuals are more susceptible to it. This is how we want to tackle the issue."
This task is possible thanks to the advancement of methods that now allow scientists to detect tiny DNA differences among large numbers of individuals. This allows us to identify common genetic patterns in those suffering from autoimmune diseases.
Up until recently we didn't have the tools for that, but now we have this incredible power to sequence DNA on a huge scale, and it has transformed everything, said Lee. Inflammatory bowel disease was just one of the variants we had when I began my studies. Now, we know about 250.
The research at foundation of Lee and Vinuesa's research efforts that seek to figure out how these various genetic pathways operate and unravel the various types of diseases that doctors are currently looking at. When you examine immune-mediated diseases, such as Lupus, for instance - it's been discovered recently that there are a variety of different forms of them, that may be caused by different genetic pathways, Vinuesa explained. It is an issue when you are trying to find the right treatment.
We are blessed with a wealth of beneficial therapies developing constantly however, we aren't sure the patients they should give them to, because we now realise we don't know for certain which type rheumatoid arthritis radiology of disease they are suffering from. That's an important goal of autoimmune research. To provide the best treatment, we must learn how to classify patients.
Lee said that the escalating instances of autoimmune diseases around the globe meant that new treatments and drugs were now urgently needed more than ever before. There are no current treatments for autoimmune diseases that are most often seen in teens, who are trying to get their first job, complete school, and take care of their families.
This means that a rising amount of people need surgery or require regular injections throughout the rest of their lives. This could be very stressful for patients as well as a huge pressure on healthcare. We require innovative and effective treatment methods.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system is attacking healthy tissue. It's an unanswered mystery.
Your immune system produces antibodies that fight against viruses and bacteria, helping you fight infections.
If you have Rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system mistakenly sends antibodies to the lining of your joints which target the tissue around the joint.
This Click here causes the thin layer, called synovium of cells that covers your joints to become sore. It also releases chemicals that can cause injury to your nearby.
bones
cartilage is the connective tissue that runs between bones
Tendons, the tissue connecting bone to muscle
Ligaments - The tissue that connects cartilage to bone
These chemicals can lead to rheumatoid joints damage if the condition is not treated. Then, eventually, it will cause the joint to be destroyed completely.
Though there are many theories on how the immune system is attacking the joint, none have been confirmed.
Possible risk factors
You could be at a higher risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis in the event that you fail to follow the steps listed below:
The genes you carry - There is some evidence to suggest that the rheumatoid arthritis condition can be passed down through families. However, the likelihood of it being passed to a child is not high as genes play an important influence on the condition.
Hormones-Rheumatoid Ailment is more common for women than men. This could be due to estrogenic effects, but this isn't confirmed.
Smoking is a risk factor - Research suggests that smokers are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.