A lot of people across the world are suffering from an immune system that doesn't distinguish between healthy cells invader bacteria, and diseases. Instead of protecting them from illness their organs and tissues are being attacked by the same defenses.
This issue is being tackled by major international research initiatives. One instance of this initiative is the London's Francis Crick Institute. Two world experts, James Lee (from the United States) as well as Carola Vinuesa (from Italy), have established separate research groups to pinpoint the precise causes.
Lee explained that autoimmune diseases have been on the rise since the past 40 years in the West. But, the diseases are now being seen in countries that have never had them before.
For example the Middle East/east Asia has seen the most recent increase in inflammatory-bowel disease cases. The patients had never encountered the disease prior to.
Autoimmune disorders range from type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis inflammation of the bowel and multiple sclerosis. Each case is different. In each instance the immune system is crossing its wires and switches on healthy tissues, not infectious agents.
The UK is home to at least 4,000,000 people who have these conditions. There are also numerous other. Globally, it's thought that cases of autoimmune diseases are rising between 3% and 9 percent per year. Researchers believe that environmental factors are the primary reason for this increase.
Lee, who was formerly situated at Cambridge University, stated that our genetic makeup has not changed in the last few decades. There's something else that is causing our predisposition to autoimmune disease.
This idea was backed by Vinuesa who was an instructor at the Australian National University. She pointed to changes in the diet occurring as more and more nations adopted western-style eating habits and people ate more fast food.
Vinuesa states that many fast-food products lack essential ingredients such as fiber. The change could affect the microbiome of a person, that is the accumulation of micro-organisms present in our bodies which plays a critical function in controlling various bodily functions.
Microbiomes are the microbiome that is altered. This leads to autoimmune disorders. There are more than 100 kinds.
Both researchers stressed that there are individual susceptibilities to the diseases. It includes celiac and Lupus. It triggers inflammation, swelling, and can cause death and damage to many organs, including heart.
Vinuesa claims that anyone who doesn't suffer from a genetic susceptibility will not get an autoimmune condition, regardless of the amount of Big Macs they consume. "There isn't much we can do to halt the spread of fast food franchises. Instead, we're trying to figure out how autoimmune conditions can be caused and what genetic pathways make certain people more susceptible to autoimmune diseases than others. This is the method we are using to Read More tackle the issue."
Modern techniques mean that scientists are now able to identify small genetic differences across a wide range of individuals. In this way, it is possible to identify common genetic patterns in people suffering from an autoimmune disease.
Lee said that until very recently we didn't have the tools necessary to analyze DNA. Now, we have this amazing power and it has changed everything. My research revealed that there are about six DNA variants that were involved in the development of inflammatory bowel diseases. Over 250 of them are known.
Lee and Vinuesa have been conducting this studies since the beginning of. Their research aims to understand the different types of diseases that doctors are currently investigating and discover the genetic pathways that lead to these diseases. If you look at some immune-mediated diseases, such as the lupus disease - it's been discovered recently that there are many different versions of them, that may be caused by different genetic pathways, Vinuesa explained. It is an issue when you are trying to determine the best treatment.
We have lots of potentially beneficial therapies developing constantly, but we don't know what patients to recommend the treatments, as we've realized that we don't know exactly which version of the disease they are suffering from. This is a crucial goal in research into autoimmune diseases. To determine the most effective treatment, it's essential to be able to categorize and categorize patients.
Lee stated that the rising incidence of autoimmune disease around the world means new treatments and medications are required now more than ever. According to Lee, at present there's no cure for autoimmune diseases. They are most often seen in young adults who are trying to complete their education and find a job.
This means that a growing number of people have to have surgery or will need regular injections for their entire lives. It's a very stressful experience for patients as well as stressing the health care system. This is the reason we have to find innovative, effective treatments.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an immuno-mediated condition. But, we don't know what triggers it.
Your immune system produces antibodies that fight against viruses and bacteria. This helps you fight infections.
Your immune system could mistakenly send antibodies to your joints in the event that you suffer from rheumatoid. These antibodies attack the tissues around them.
The thin layer (synovium) that covers your joints, could get inflamed and irritated which releases chemicals and cause harm.
bones
Cartilage - The connective tissue which connects cartilage and bones
Tendons, the tissues that join muscles to bone
ligaments - the tissues that connects cartilage and bone
If rheumatoid doesn't get treated it will cause the joint to loose its shape. The end result can be irreparable.
Though there are many theories on why the immune system is attacking the joint, none of them have been proven.
Possible risk factors
Rheumatoid-related arthritis may result from a range of causes, including:
The genes. There are indications that rheumatoid-related arthritis may occur in families. But, because genes play a tiny role in the development of the condition and progression, there's a low likelihood of it being passed on to the next generation.
Hormones – Rheumatoid arthritis is more prevalent for women than for men. Though this could be due in part to the effects estrogenic hormones on the body, it hasn't been proven.
Smoking - Some evidence suggests Read More that smokers are at greater risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis.