All over the world, people are experiencing more pain because their immune systems are unable to discern between healthy cells from invader microorganisms. Instead of protecting themselves from illness, their organs and tissue are attacked by these same defenses.
A major international effort in research is underway to stop this trend. A London-based initiative known as the Francis Crick Institute, has two world-renowned experts. James Lee & Carola Vinuesa established separate research teams to find out the exact causes of autoimmune disease.
Lee explained to the Observer that autoimmune illnesses began to increase about 40 years ago, in western nations. However, we are now seeing some emerge in countries that had never seen the disease before.
For example, the biggest recent increase in inflammatory bowel disease cases has occurred in the Middle East and east Asia. They had not seen the disease prior to.
Type 1 diabetes multiple sclerosis inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoidarthitis are all autoimmune diseases. In all cases the immune system is activated and begins to turn on healthy tissues.
At least four million people living in the UK have suffered from these diseases. Other people may have more than one. Globally, it is believed that the number of cases of autoimmune diseases is growing by between 3 and 9 percent annually. Many researchers believe that environmental factors play a major role in this rise.
Lee, who was previously located in Cambridge University, stated that genetics has not changed over recent years. Therefore, something is changing out there and it's increasing our susceptibility to an autoimmune disorder.
Vinuesa an ex-student at the Australian National University, supported this idea. She pointed out the changes in diet as more countries adopted western-style eating habits and people consumed more fast food.
Vinuesa said that the absence of essential ingredients in fast-food food could result in a decrease in the intake of vital nutrients, including fibre.
Changes in our microbiomes cause an autoimmune condition, and over 100 have been identified.
Both researchers emphasized that individual susceptibilities were involved in contracting such illnesses, ailments that also comprise celiac diseases as well with lupus, which causes swelling and inflammation that can cause damage to various organs, including the heart.
Vinuesa states that a person who does not have a particular genetic predisposition will not develop an autoimmune disorder, regardless of the amount of Big Macs they eat. It's impossible to stop the expansion of fast-food restaurants across the globe. Instead, we are focusing on understanding the genetic factors which cause autoimmune disorders and why some individuals are more susceptible than others not. This is the stage that we are aiming to tackle this problem."
This feat is possible due to the advancement of methods that allow researchers to detect tiny DNA differences among large numbers of individuals. This is how it is possible identify common genetic patterns for patients who suffer from auto immune disease.
Lee said that until very recent, we didn't have the tools to identify DNA. However, now we're blessed with this incredible power and it has changed everything. My research revealed that there are about six DNA variants involved in the trigger of inflammatory bowel disease. There are now over 250.
This is the heart of Lee's and Vinuesa’s work. They aim to discover how different genetic pathways function and to discover the different types of diseases scientists are currently researching. Vinuesa said that there are a variety of variants of autoimmune diseases, like Lupus. When you're trying to find the best treatment it can become an issue.
There are many new potential treatments that may be beneficial however, we do not have the right patients. In fact, we don’t have the data we require to determine if patients have the same disease. This is a major goal in autoimmune research. It is essential to learn how to stratify and group patients to provide them the best treatment.
Lee said that with the rising incidence of autoimmune diseases across the world, new treatments and medications are needed more urgently than ever before. It is not possible to cure autoimmune diseases. It happens when people are young and trying to finish college, get a first job and start families.
This means that increasing numbers of patients will need to undergo surgery or regular injections. It can be very challenging for patients, and puts an enormous strain on the health system. So, it is essential to find effective and new treatments.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. This means the immune system is attacking healthy tissue. It's not yet known what triggers it.
The immune system usually produces antibodies that fight against bacteria and viruses, helping to fight infection.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition in which your immune system transmits antibodies to joints. They attack the tissues around the joint.
The thin layer (synovium) that is a protective layer on your joints, could be inflamed and inflamed and release chemicals that cause harm.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue between bones which is made up of cartilage.
tendons - the tissue that connects muscle and bone
Ligaments are the connective Read More tissue between bone and cartilage.
Rheumatoid arthritis may be treated but isn't treated. The chemicals can cause joints to become distorted and out of alignment. It can eventually destroy the joint.
Many theories on how the immune system can attack the joints have been suggested for example, an infection as a trigger, but none of them has been confirmed.
Possible risk factors
You may be at greater risk of developing rheumatoidarthritis in the event that you fail to follow these steps:
Genetics - Some evidence suggests that rheumatoid joint disease can run in families. It Click here is not likely that you'll inherit the disease. Genetics are believed to only play a minor part in the.
Hormones Rheumatoid Arthritis are more common in women than it is in males. This could result from the effect of Oestrogen. But this connection isn't yet proven.
Smoking is a major risk factor for rheumatoid artifiid. A few studies support this.