There are over 100 recognized autoimmune diseases, and the number continues to grow as research advances. Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own cells, tissues, or organs.
Autoimmune disorders are responses from our immune system against foreign or self antigen. It usually involves both a T cell and B cell responses.
The demonstration of autoantibodies is usually the first step in the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease, although it is not sufficient. The antibodies may not be the actual mediators of disease. Naturally occurring autoantibodies can occur in immunologically competent people and may even rise nonspecifically during the course of disease or injury.
The development of autoimmune disease depends upon an imbalance between pathogenic factors generated by auto-reactive T and B cells and the regulatory factors that normally control the immune response. As an example, the balance of activities between various effector T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) helps to determine whether an individual maintains normal self-tolerance or progresses to autoimmune disease.
Diseases in which there is chronic inflammation but no evidence of auto reactive T or B cells, termed auto-inflammatory diseases, are associated with the innate immune response.
Categories of Autoimmune Diseases
They can be classified into two main types:
- Organ-Specific – Target a specific organ. Examples: Type 1 Diabetes : pancreas, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: thyroid gland, alopecia: scalp inflammation and hair loss…
- Systemic – Affect multiple organs or tissues (e.g., Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis).
Examples of Autoimmune Diseases
- Endocrine: Type 1 Diabetes, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Graves’ Disease
- Rheumatologic: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Sjögren’s Syndrome
- Gastrointestinal: Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis
- Neurological: Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Guillain-Barré Syndrome
- Dermatologic: Psoriasis, Vitiligo, Pemphigus Vulgaris, alopecia
- Hematologic: Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, Immune Thrombocytopenia
- Rare Autoimmune Disorders: Goodpasture Syndrome, Stiff-Person Syndrome
In order to manage the autoimmune disorder, we need to look at different places, one of the main ones is the GI tract and find out if the patient has leaky gut or not. Sometimes, having an implant, prosthesis, can trigger immune response. We always check for heavy metal toxicity and other toxin exposures as well. There are peptides that can modulate the response as well as biologics along with the functional medicine approach.