Autoimmune diseases and conditions

In a perfect world, everything would run smoothly, and few, if any, bumps in the road would materialize in front of us. But the real world is anything but perfect, and so are our human bodies. In a perfect body, everything would be perfectly timed, all parts working in unison and toward the same goal. However, with autoimmune diseases and conditions, something goes amiss, causing the body to work overtime, and in the wrong direction.

Autoimmune diseases exist when a person's body produces abnormal cells - anti-nuclear antibodies, or ANA - which, instead of attacking the legitimate infectious and viral invaders of the body, turn on the body, itself. The ANA cells will not recognize the healthy cells, tissues and organs, and turn to attack. Thus, a person's immune system becomes an autoimmune conditioned system, poorly defending against outside invading agents, and attacking healthy tissues and organs.

Autoimmune diseases are detected through a combination of noted symptoms, in-depth physical exam, and blood tests. Some autoimmune diseases will share many common traits, and even treatments, as some are very closely related. Through blood tests, physicians - especially rheumatologists, who specialize in immunology and rheumatic diseases - can tag specific conditions and help develop a plan for proper treatment and outlook.

Autoimmune diseases are usually chronic, and can follow a person throughout a lifetime, with or without proper diagnosis and treatment. And, though detectable and treatable, no physician can positively determine in which direction an autoimmune disease may follow. It is because of this unpredictability that patients should be carefully and regularly checked out by a competent doctor, preferably an internist and/or a rheumatologist, to track the course any disease or condition may follow. Some medications can successfully slow - maybe even stop - the destruction of the immune system, but even these are no guarantee for the future. One autoimmune disease can easily turn into multiple conditions, with both overlapping symptoms and problems, and each with particularly difficult paths of their own.

Autoimmune diseases may take many forms. Here is a brief sketch of just a few:

Rheumatoid Arthritisexists when joint linings are directly affected, causing pain, swelling and stiffness of the joints.

Multiple Sclerosis is present when the immune system attacks the nerve tissues of the central nervous system, which can cause (in its extreme cases) blindness, paralysis and even an early death. It is, however, usually capable of severe disability.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (such as Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis) - results when the rampant ANA cells attack the intestinal areas, causing pain, diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramps.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus - usually shows itself with extreme fatigue, rashes and joint pain. Major organs may also be affected, causing severe problems for the kidneys, brain or lungs.

Psoriasis (and some other skin disorders) - affect the skin, and sometimes the eyes, nails and joints.

Schleroderma - exists when the skin and blood vessels begin to thicken. Raynaud's (severe cold in fingers and toes) is very often also present. Symptoms may include sensitivity of fingers and toes to the cold, skin color changes, pain, and sometimes ulcers of the fingertips or toes.

Fibromyalgia - symptoms includes severe fatigue, overall body aches and pains, sleep disorders, stiffness of body joints, headaches, memory and concentration problems, fluid retention, intestinal problems, and other mixed symptoms. There are usually several "tender points" scattered throughout the body which, when pressure is applied, can double a person over in pain. These "tender points" are often a major determining factor in diagnosing Fibromyalgia.

Sjogren's Syndrome - is a condition affecting the body's fluid-producing glands. These glands can reduce their fluid output, and even finally run dry, causing a person to suffer from dry eyes, dry mouth, and dry skin. Sometimes sore and aching muscles, extreme fatigue, and other autoimmune and connective tissue diseases will develop.

Pernicious Anemia - is a condition where the body lacks the vitamin B-12 necessary for the body to replenish its blood supply. With Pernicious Anemia, the body lacks what is called the "intrinsic factor" needed in the stomach to absorb B-12. Symptoms can include weakness and fatigue, nausea, appetite loss and the weight loss that usually follows, sore tongue, inability to balance, yellowish tinge to eyes and skin, shortness of breath, poor memory, confusion, headache and depression.

With all autoimmune diseases and conditions, the common thread is the ANA which attacks otherwise healthy body cells, tissues, and organs. Though many of the autoimmune diseases and conditions may have symptoms and problems specific to them, they all seem to share overlapping symptoms, causing accurate diagnosis and proper treatment to sometimes be very difficult. It is, therefore, extremely important that anyone suffering from this mixed bag of symptoms to take them seriously, and to take the necessary health precautions. Seek competent medical advice, and have a thorough examine and blood test.

Not all of these diseases and conditions will result in a premature death, though some of them can certainly develop to that end. However, without the proper medical care and treatment, most of these will run ravaging over the body, and cause immense pain and other symptomatic problems, and can even bring about an early death.

For the best possible outcomes, take all symptoms seriously, especially if they have been chronic and ongoing for some period of time. Don't accept a general physician's view that it is all "just in your head" or "nothing to worry about." While it is true that many of the symptoms of autoimmune diseases are also common factors of stress, fatigue and many other diseases and conditions, they all point to some problem that should be accurately and timely addressed, for the best outcome possible for its sufferers.