The immune system of many people fails to differentiate between healthy cells from invading microorganisms. This is leading to greater suffering throughout the world. Instead of protecting them against disease, their organs and tissue are attacked by these same defenses.
International research is underway to stop the growing trend. This is a London-based initiative. Francis Crick Institute where two world experts, James Lee, and Carola Vinuesa have established distinct research groups to determine the causes of autoimmune diseases.
Lee told the Observer the extent to which autoimmune cases has increased over the last 40 years in the West. But, some of these cases are now occurring in countries that have not suffered from the disease.
The Middle East and East Asia have seen the largest increase in cases of inflammatory bowel disease. Before that they had hardly seen the disease.
Type 1 diabetes can be associated with rheumatoid or multiple sclerosis. In each case, your immune system becomes confused and shifts to healthy tissue over infectious agents.
There are at least 4,000,000 people with autoimmune conditions in the UK as well as some suffering from more than one. It is widely believed that the amount of autoimmune disease is increasing by between 3 and 9 percent per year. Many researchers believe that environmental factors are the primary factor in this rise.
Lee, who was formerly situated in Cambridge University, stated that our genetic makeup has not changed in the last few years. Something is going on outside that's increasing our chances of developing autoimmune diseases.
Vinuesa who was based at Australia National University supported the notion. She discussed the shifts in food habits that took place as more countries adopted west-style diets and people were eating more fast food.
Diets that focus on fast food lack some essential ingredients, like fibre, and evidence suggests that this can affect a person's microbiome - the group of micro-organisms are found in our digestive tract and that are essential in controlling various bodily functions, Vinuesa stated.
These changes to our microbiomes are then triggering an autoimmune disease, and more than 100 kinds have now been discovered.
They both highlighted the importance of individual vulnerability to developing these diseases. Celiac disease and Lupus are two additional diseases that can cause swelling and inflammation that could result in damage to various organs, which includes your heart.
Vinuesa stated "If you don't have genetic susceptibility to autoimmune illnesses there is no guarantee that you'll get one, no matter how many Big Macs your eat." "We are unable to slow the growth of fast-food restaurants all over the world. Instead we're trying to unravel the genetic causes that cause the autoimmune diseases that make certain people more susceptible than others. We are determined to address this issue at the highest level.
Scientists have the capability to spot tiny variations in DNA between large numbers of people. This is made possible by the use of new techniques. It allows us to find common genetic patterns in those suffering from autoimmune diseases.
Lee claims that, although we had the technology for sequencing DNA to a large extent until recently but it was not feasible. My research showed that there are about six DNA variations that are involved in the development of inflammatory bowel disease. Now, there are over 250.
This is the heart of Lee's and Vinuesa’s work. They are trying to understand the functions of different genetic pathways and discover the diverse kinds of diseases that researchers are currently studying. Vinuesa stated that there are a variety of types of autoimmune diseases such as Lupus. That can make it difficult to find the right treatment.
There are a lot of beneficial new treatments that are developing constantly, but we don't know the patients they should give the treatments, as we've come to realize that we don't know exactly which form of the disease they have. This is why research into autoimmune diseases has become a priority. To ensure that we provide the best therapy it is essential to be able group and stratify patients.
Lee said that there are more autoimmune disorders than ever before, and the development of new therapies and medications are urgently needed. There are no current treatments for autoimmune disorders, which often occur in young peoplewho are trying to find their first job, complete the school year, and also raise their families.
The result is that more people will need surgery, or will require regular injections for the rest their lives. This can be a nightmare for Check out patients as well as a significant burden on health care services. Therefore, it is imperative to discover effective and innovative treatment options.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. This means the immune system is attacking healthy tissue. However, it's not yet understood what causes this.
The immune system usually produces antibodies that attack viruses and bacteria, helping to fight off infection.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which your immune system creates antibodies for your joints. They attack the tissue surrounding the joint.
The thin layer (synovium) that is a protective layer on your joints, can be inflamed and inflamed which releases chemicals and cause injury.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue that connects bones and is composed of cartilage.
Tendons - the tissues which connects muscle to bone
Ligaments – The tissues that connect cartilage and Check out bone
If rheumatoid doesn't get treated it will cause the joint to lose its shape. In the end, it could destroy the joint completely.
Although there are numerous theories on how the immune system attacks the joint, none of them have been confirmed.
Possible risk factors
There are many factors which can increase your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, such as:
your genes - there's some evidence to suggest that arthritis may be passed down through families, but the risk of inheriting it is thought to be very low since genes are believed to play a tiny part in the disease
Hormones The autoimmune disease Rheumatoid is more prevalent than ever before among women, perhaps because of the hormonal effects of oestrogen. This link, however, has never been proven.
Smoking - There is evidence that smoking increases the likelihood of developing rheumatoidarthritis.