The immune system of many people fails to differentiate between healthy cells and invading microorganisms. This is leading to more suffering around the world. Their organs and tissue are now being attacked by disease defences which they had previously.
A number of major international research efforts are being made to fight this trend - such as an initiative in London's Francis Crick Institute, where two world experts, James Lee and Carola Vinuesa have established separate research groups to help identify the root causes of autoimmune disease in the way that these diseases are known.
Lee explained to the Observer that the occurrence of autoimmune diseases began to increase around 40 years ago in western nations. There are new cases in countries where these conditions were not seen before.
The Middle East, East Asia and Africa have experienced the highest rise in inflammatory bowel disorder cases in recent years. They'd never seen the disease.
Autoimmune diseases vary from type 1 diabetes to multiple MS chronic fatigue syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis. Each case is different. In all cases, the immune system crosses its wires and switches on healthy tissues instead of infectious agents.
At least 4 million people suffering from autoimmune diseases in the UK as well as some suffering from more than one. Globally, it's estimated that cases of autoimmune diseases are rising by 3% to 9% a year. The reason for this is believed to be caused by environmental factors, according most scientists.
Lee, who was previously located at Cambridge University, stated that genetics has not changed over recent decades. Something must be taking place outside that is increasing the risk of developing autoimmune diseases.
Vinuesa was in favor of the idea, having worked previously in the Australian National University. She highlighted changes in diet that were taking place as more nations adopted western-style eating habits and people ate more fast food.
Vinuesa stated that fast-food meals contain a few essential ingredients, like fiber. The evidence suggests that this can alter the microbiome of a person that is the collection of microorganisms that reside in our digestive tract. These microorganisms play an crucial role in controlling many bodily functions.
The changes in microbiomes can lead to autoimmune diseases. There are over 100 kinds.
Both scientists stressed the importance of individual risk factors for developing such illnesses. The celiac and lupus diseases are two additional diseases that can cause inflammation and swelling that can lead to damage to various organs, including your heart.
Vinuesa said that "If you don't have genetic susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, you won’t necessarily get one, no matter how many Big Macs your consume." "There isn't much we can do to halt the worldwide spread of fast-food franchises. Instead, we are focusing in understanding the genetic mechanisms that cause autoimmune diseases and how some people are more susceptible to the disease while others are not. "We would like to tackle the problem at this point."
Modern techniques mean that scientists are now able to identify small differences in DNA across a wide range of individuals. It allows us to discover the common genetic traits in those suffering from Click here autoimmune diseases.
Lee says that although we had the technology for sequencing DNA up to a large extent until recently however, it was not possible. We only knew about half a dozen different variants of DNA that could cause inflammation in the Read More bowel when I started my study. Today, we have more than 250.
Lee and Vinuesa have been involved in this research since the start of. Their research aims to uncover the various types of diseases that doctors are currently researching and uncover the genetic pathways that cause these types of diseases. If you look at some autoimmune diseases - for example Lupus, for instance - it's been made clear that there are a variety of different forms of themthat could be caused through different genetic pathways Vinuesa explained. And that has a consequence when trying to determine the best treatment.
There are a variety of new therapies being developed, but we don't know what patients we should give them. We don't even know what version of the disease the patient has. This is a major goal in research into autoimmune diseases. To ensure that we deliver the best treatment we must be able to group and categorize patients.
Lee stated that the rising incidence of autoimmune diseases around the globe means that new treatments and medications are needed now more than ever. According to Lee, today there's no cure for autoimmune conditions. They usually occur in young adults who are trying to complete their education and find a job.
This means that more and more of people will need to undergo surgery or regular injections. This can be very difficult for patients and an enormous pressure on healthcare. We require new and efficient treatment methods.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune conditionthat is due to the immune system attacking healthy body tissue. But it isn't yet clear what triggers it.
Your immune system naturally creates antibodies that fight off viruses and bacteria.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that affects your immune system and transmits antibodies to joints. They attack the tissues surrounding the joint.
The thin layer (synovium), which covers your joints, may become inflamed and inflamed, releasing chemicals to cause injury.
bones
Cartilage, the connective tissue that connects bones.
Tendons - the tissues that connects bone to muscle
Ligaments - This is the tissue which connects cartilage and bones.
If rheumatoid arthritis does not get treated, the chemicals slowly make the joint change shape and alignment. These chemicals could eventually lead to the degeneration of the joint in its entirety.
While there are many theories on why the immune system targets joints, none has been proven.
Possible risk factors
You may be at greater risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis in the event that you fail to follow the following steps:
Your genes - There's some evidence that rheumatoid arthritis can be passed through families. However, the likelihood of it being passed on to a child is low as genes play an insignificant part in the disease.
Hormones Rheumatoid Arthritis is much more prevalent in women than for men. This could result from the effect of Oestrogen. But, the link has yet to be proven.
Smoking cigarettes - There is evidence that smokers are more likely to get rheumatoid arthritis.