The immune system of a lot of people fails to differentiate between healthy cells from invading microorganisms. This is leading to more suffering around the world. Their organs and tissue are now being attacked by the disease defenses which they had previously.
This trend is being tackled by large international research efforts. One example of this initiative is the London's Francis Crick Institute. Two world experts, James Lee (from the United States) and Carola Vinuesa (from Italy) have created separate research groups in order to identify the root cause of the problem.
Lee stated that cases of autoimmune disease are increasing since around 40 years ago in the west. We are seeing some emerge in countries that never had such diseases before.
The Middle East and East Asia are experiencing the greatest growth in cases of inflammatory bowel disorders. Prior to that, they had never ever heard of the disease.
Type 1 diabetes is often caused by rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In all cases, your immune system becomes confused and switches to healthy tissue over the pathogens that cause infection.
There are at most 4,000,000 people with autoimmune conditions in the UK and some suffer from more than one. Globally, it is believed that the incidence of autoimmune diseases is growing by between 3 and 9 percent per year. Numerous scientists believe that environmental factors are a major factor in this rise.
Lee who worked previously in Cambridge University, said that the human genetics of human beings is not changing over the past decades. There's something else that's causing our predisposition to autoimmune disease.
Vinuesa agreed with the idea having previously worked in the Australian National University. She noted that there had been changes in the diet as more people ate western-style meals, and increasing consumption of fast food.
Vinuesa explained that some essential elements in fast food diets aren't present such as fibre. There is evidence that altering the microbiome (the assortment of microorganisms we have in our digestive tract) could result in an impairment in specific bodily functions.
The changes in our microbiomes trigger autoimmune disorders, of which there are more than 100 kinds.
The two scientists also stressed that every person is susceptible to these diseases including celiac Lupus, and various other illnesses, such as celiac, which cause inflammation and swelling and can cause significant damage to the organs of various.
Vinuesa clarified that autoimmune diseases aren't something you could develop if you don't possess a particular genetic susceptibility. There's nothing we can do about the expansion of fast-food chains across the world. Instead, we're trying to understand the genetic causes of autoimmune disease and why certain people are at risk. This is the way we intend to address the problem."
The development of modern technologies has made it possible to spot tiny differences in the DNA of large numbers of people. This makes it possible to identify common genetic patterns in those suffering from an autoimmune disorder.
Up until recently, we just didn't have the tools for that, but now we're able to sequence DNA on a large scale, and it has transformed everything, Read More according to Lee. When I started my research in the early 1990s, we knew only about 50% of the DNA variants which were linked to the onset of inflammation in the intestines. Now, we know more than 250.
Lee and Vinuesa are pursuing such work because they want to know how the genetic pathways function and the underlying causes of the diverse illnesses that doctors are currently studying. Vinuesa explained that there may be multiple variants of conditions that cause autoimmune disease, such as Lupus. It is essential to realize that this can have consequences in determining the best treatment.
There are numerous beneficial new treatments in the pipeline however, we're not sure the patients they should be administered to. This is due to the fact that we don't really know the precise nature of their disease. And that is now the main goal of the research into autoimmune diseases. To determine the most effective treatment, it's essential to know how to group and stratify patients.
Lee explained that, with the rising incidence of auto-immune diseases around the globe, new treatments and drugs are now needed more urgently than ever before. There are currently no cures for autoimmune illnesses that usually manifest in young people , as they are trying to Click here complete their studies, secure their first job and have families, he said.
That means growing numbers of patients will have to have regular injections for the rest of their lives. This can be a very painful time for patients and also puts an enormous strain on the healthcare system. We require new and efficient treatments.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune condition, which means it's due to the immune system attacking healthy tissue in the body. This is an unanswered mystery.
The immune system typically produces antibodies to fight off bacteria and viruses to combat infection.
Your immune system could accidentally send antibodies to your joints if you have rheumatoid. These antibodies attack the tissues around them.
The thin layer of cells (synovium), that covers your joints, becomes inflamed and swollen.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue which connects bones and cartilage
Tendons, the tissue connecting muscles to bone
Ligaments form the connective tissue between bone and cartilage.
Rheumatoid arthritis may be treated but isn't controlled. The chemicals that cause it cause joints to become distorted and out of alignment. The end result can be irreparable.
There are many theories about the reasons why your immune system attacks joints, such as the possibility of an infection as an trigger. But none of them have been proved to be valid.
Possible risk factors
There are many things that increase the risk of developing rheumatoid, for example:
The genes. There are indications that rheumatoid-related arthritis could run in families. Since genes play only a small role in the development of the condition and progression, there's a low chance that the condition will be passed on to the next generation.
hormones - rheumatoid arthritis is more prevalent among women than in men. This could be due to effects of the hormone oestrogen, however, this connection hasn't been proven
Smoking is a risk factor - Research suggests that smokers are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.