The immune system of a lot of people are unable to differentiate between healthy cells and invading micro-organisms. This is creating more suffering around the world. Disease defences that once protected them are now attacking their tissue and organs.
This trend is being addressed by large international research initiatives. One example of this initiative is London's Francis Crick Institute. Two world experts, James Lee (from the United States) and Carola Vinuesa (from Italy) have formed separate research groups to pinpoint the root cause of the problem.
Lee said to the Observer, that autoimmune cases increased in the west about 40 years ago. However, some of these cases are now being seen in countries where they have never experienced such diseases.
The Middle East, East Asia and Africa have had the highest increase in the number of cases of inflammatory bowel disorders over the last few years. They'd never heard of this disease before.
Type 1 diabetes MS, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoidarthitis all are auto-immune illnesses. Each situation is distinct. In every case the immune system is crossing its wires, and it switches to healthy tissues instead of infective agents.
At least 4 million people in the UK have been affected by these ailments. Some may be suffering more than one. In the world, it's estimated that cases of autoimmune diseases are rising by 3% to 9% a year. Many researchers believe that environmental factors play a an important role in this rise.
Lee who was formerly in Cambridge University, says that the human genetics haven't changed in the last decade. There's a possibility that something is happening in the world outside that has increased our susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.
Vinuesa who was a former student at the Australian National University, supported this idea. She highlighted changes in diet that were happening as more countries adopted western-style diets and consumers bought more fast food.
Diets that focus on fast food lack some important ingredients, such as fiber, and research suggests this alteration affects your microbiome, which is the collection of micro-organisms that we have in our gut and which are essential in controlling different body functions, Vinuesa explained.
These changes in our microbiomes can trigger autoimmune disease, of which more than 100 cases have been reported.
Both researchers emphasized that individual vulnerability was a factor in the development of these illnesses. These ailments also comprise celiac diseases as well as lupus, which triggers swelling and inflammation, and may cause harm to different organs, such as the heart.
Vinuesa said that "If you don't have a genetic predisposition to autoimmune disorders there is no guarantee that you'll get one, no matter how many Big Macs your eat." We can't change the widespread expansion of fast-food chains across the globe. Instead, we are looking at the genetic causes that cause autoimmune diseases. We want to know why some people are more vulnerable than others. We're determined to solve this issue at the highest level.
This feat is possible due to the development of techniques which allow scientists to identify tiny differences in DNA among large numbers of individuals. This allows them to recognize common genetic patterns in people with an autoimmune disorder.
Lee states that even though we had the technology to sequence DNA the point of being able to sequence DNA, until recent, it was not possible. Inflammatory bowel disease was only one of the variants we had when I began my studies. There are now over 250.
Lee and Vinuesa have a particular focus of their energies on this kind of work. They seek to understand more about genetic pathways and find the causes of the various diseases they are studying. Vinuesa said that there could be multiple variants of diseases that are autoimmune, such as Lupus. This could have an adverse impact on your ability to find the right treatment.
We are blessed with a wealth of useful new therapies that are being developed all the time However, we don't know the patients they should give the treatments, as we now realise we aren't sure of the version of the disease they are suffering from. This is the aim of autoimmune research. It is crucial to know how to classify and categorize patients to provide them the appropriate treatment.
Lee said that rising cases of autoimmune diseases across the globe mean that the development of new therapies and medicines is required now more than ever before. It's not possible to treat autoimmune diseases. It happens when people are young and trying to finish college or get their first job and start families.
It means that an increasing number of people have surgery or require regular injections throughout their arthritis rheumatoid icd 10 code entire life. It can be a painful time for patients and also puts an immense pressure on the health system. That's why we need to develop innovative and effective solutions.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune-mediated condition. But, we don't know the triggers for it.
The immune system typically produces antibodies that fight against bacteria and viruses, helping to fight infection.
If you suffer from arthritis rheumatoide Rheumatoid Arthritis the immune system releases antibodies into your joint in the lining, which target the tissues around them.
The thin layer, called synovium of cells that surround your joints to become swollen. The synovium also releases chemicals that can cause injury nearby.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue between bones that is made up of cartilage.
Tendons - The tissue that connects muscle to bone
ligaments - the tissue that connects cartilage and bone
If rheumatoid arthritis is not treated, the chemicals slowly make the joint change shape and alignment. These chemicals could eventually lead to the destruction of the joint in its entirety.
Many theories on how the immune system can attack joints have been proposed for example, an infection acting as a trigger, but none of these theories have been proven.
Possible risk factors
There are a variety of factors that increase the risk of developing rheumatoid, for example:
Genes. There are some signs that rheumatoid-related arthritis may be a family trait. However, since genes play a minor part in the course of development and progression, there's a low risk of the disease being passed on to the next generation.
Hormones Rheumatoid Arthritis is much more prevalent in women than it is for men. It could be due to the effects of the hormone Oestrogen. But, the link isn't yet proven.
Smoking is a risk cause for rheumatoid artifiid. There is evidence to support this.