Immunity, our natural defense mechanism, has a vital role in protecting and preventing different diseases. It involves immune cells, immune organs, and various processes, working against foreign antigens. However, if this system goes against our body and these immune cells attack our body’s cells, this condition is called an Autoimmune disorder, and the phenomenon is known as Autoimmunity. This results in many diseases, called Autoimmune diseases. Now, here arises a question; Why do our Immune cells destroy our own cells? Normally, these cells ignore our body’s cells and destroy the foreign antigens. But when these cells can’t differentiate between self-antigens and foreign antigens, they attack their own cells and cause problems. Factors resulting in Autoimmunity: Some factors lead to the immune system working oppositely, including; Environmental Factors: Exposure to dangerous rays, high sunlight, usage of certain chemicals like tobacco (cigarette smoke), and air pollutants may also cause autoimmune disorders. Vertical Transfer of disease: Transfer of certain disease-causing genes from parents to offspring is known as vertical transfer. This may contribute to the development of many autoimmune diseases. Gut flora: The imbalance of microorganisms in our gut that works in the proper functioning of our digestive system may initiate autoimmune disease. Stress: As stress affects many parts of our body, it also leads to errors in immunity, causing autoimmunity. Hormones: Hormones like estrogen influence our immune system as they enhance immunity and antibody production. This increases the risk for autoimmune disorders. Therefore, women commonly develop these types of diseases. Obesity: Excess fat in the body adds pressure to all organs and disrupts the function of the body. One of the consequences of it is autoimmune disease. Which diseases are a result of Autoimmunity? Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic disease, mainly causing pain in several joints of the body. As whichever joint is inflamed, one experiences extreme pain. This makes it difficult to move hands, wrists, knees, and ankles. Multiple Sclerosis: It is a disorder in which our immune system attacks the brain or spinal cord, specifically, the protective sheath of nerves known as the myelin sheath. The communication between the brain and body is disrupted, causing permanent damage. Symptoms, including numbness, weakness, difficulty in walking, partial or complete loss of vision, blurry vision, vertigo, fatigue, speech problems, changing mood, and memory issues, are often seen in this disease. Lichen planus: A chronic inflammatory disorder that mainly affects skin, hair, and mucous membranes is called lichen planus. Due to its appearance resembling that of lichen, it is named lichen. It comes in the category of autoimmune disorders as it is the result of autoimmunity. The affected area is red, itchy on the skin, and white patches in the mucous membrane. Alopecia areata: When the person’s immune system attacks the hair follicles, it stops the hair growth. In this disease, small or all areas of the body lose hair. On the scalp, it is seen as a spot, thus called spot baldness. This irritates the affected parts. Antisynthetase syndrome: There are synthetase enzymes present in our body for protein synthesis. It helps amino acids attach to tRNA, called Aminoacyl-tRNA. The immune system attacks this enzyme by producing erroneous autoantibodies. This affects lungs (Interstitial Lung Disease), muscles (Myositis), etc, and produces inflammation.Signs such as cough, shortness of breath, and muscle weakness are seen in this condition. Hashimoto’s disease: an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid and gradually destroys it. The thyroid may get enlarged and cause goiter. This leads to weight gain, dry skin and scalp, muscle pain, fatigue, weakness, etc. Graves' disease: It also affects the thyroid and enlarges the thyroid. It mainly causes hyperthyroidism, and thus its symptoms appear like increased heartbeat, anxiety, tremors, weight loss, etc. Autoimmune hepatitis: A chronic condition of destroyed hepatic cells by the immune system is called autoimmune hepatitis. This leads to tiredness, jaundice, abdominal pain, etc. Myocarditis: When immune cells attack the myocardium tissue of the heart and cause inflammation, this is called myocarditis. It reduces the work of the cardiac muscle and may cause a heart attack and stroke, as not enough blood can be supplied to vital organs. Type 1 diabetes: Diabetes, specifically, insulin-dependent diabetes, is caused by autoimmunity. Our defense cells attack the beta cells of the pancreas and stop the production of insulin. This causes hyperglycemia as glucose will not be utilized by tissues and stays in the bloodstream. Lupus nephritis: When our immune cells damage the healthy kidney tissue, it causes lupus nephritis. It decreases kidney function. Vitiligo: The condition in which our skin loses its color, i.e., hypopigmentation, as the pigment cells are being attacked. Psoriasis: Patches of red, pink, or purple color on the skin that are itchy and dry are known as psoriasis. It is not contagious but lasts longer. Celiac disease: An abnormal response of our immune system towards gluten protein present in our diet affects the small intestine and causes digestive issues like diarrhea, bloating, constipation, etc. Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The negative impact of immune cells on bowel cells results in infection/inflammation. Signs such as abdominal pain, diarrhea rectal bleeding (chronic) are seen. Management of Autoimmune Diseases Drugs such as immunosuppressants, NSAIDS are medical treatments to manage autoimmune diseases. Lifestyle changes, including diet, exercise, proper sleep schedule to manage cortisol hormone for stress relief, help in lowering the symptoms. Polyphenols are dietary natural sources that are being used in autoimmune disease therapy. It contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which help in these autoimmune disorders. For example, green tea. Early diagnosis of this disease and continuous follow-ups reduce its severity. Conclusion Autoimmunity occurs when the immune system attacks healthy cells, leading to diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and type 1 diabetes. Factors like genetics, environment, and stress contribute to autoimmunity. Management involves medications, lifestyle changes, and early diagnosis. Treatment aims to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. As you have read the entire blog, you would agree that Autoimmune disease is heterogeneous because it affects different parts of the body. It’s better to treat something harmless rather than its chronic state, which becomes more costly and painful with the passage of time. (FAQS) What is an autoimmune disease? The disorder caused by erroneous immunity of our body affects certain parts of our body and damages them. Why do immune cells go against our body’s cells? When the immune cells lose their ability to identify and differentiate between foreign antigens and self-antigens of the body, they work to destroy cells, among which our body cells are also affected. Which factors cause autoimmunity? Factors such as genetics, environment, stress, and obesity initiate wrong immune responses in our body, leading to autoimmunity. Which diseases come in the category of autoimmune disorders? Psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, alopecia, vitiligo, rheumatoid arthritis, etc., are such diseases that come in the category of autoimmune diseases. How to manage autoimmune disorders? Pharmacotherapy, including immunosuppressants and NSAIDS, along with lifestyle changes and proper checkups, helps in reducing and managing autoimmune diseases.