Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the body attacks its own cells. Today there are more than 40 human diseases classified as either definite or probable autoimmune diseases and they affect 5-7% of the population. Almost all autoimmune diseases appear without warning or apparent cause and most patients suffer from fatigue.

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The causes of autoimmune diseases are still obscure: some are thought to be either examples of, or precipitated by, diseases of affluence. For example, arthritis and obesity are acknowledged to be related, and the World Health Organisation states that arthritis is most common in developed countries. Most autoimmune diseases are probably the result of multiple circumstances: for example, a genetic predisposition triggered by an infection.

Related Topics:
Diseases of affluence - Arthritis - Obesity - World Health Organisation

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Women tend to be affected more often by autoimmune disorders, nearly 79% of autoimmune disease patients in the USA are women http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/research/archive/autoimmu.htm. Also they tend to appear during or shortly after puberty. It is not known why this is the case, although hormone levels have been shown to affect the severity of some autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis http://www.sciencemag.org/feature/data/983519.shl. Other causes may include the presence of fetal cells in the maternal bloodstream. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/9/1127

Related Topics:
Hormone - Multiple sclerosis

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