The 6 most common autoimmune diseases to watch out for

What are autoimmune diseases?

Autoimmune diseases are diseases that occur when your immune system (immune system) attacks healthy cells in your own body. This disease develops when your immune system misjudges the healthy cells in your body, and instead thinks of them as foreign substances. As a result, your body begins to produce antibodies that will attack and damage these healthy cells in your body. Meanwhile, the exact cause why your immune system attacks healthy cells in the body is not yet known.

Autoimmune diseases can affect almost any part of the body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, joints, eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, digestive tract, glands and blood vessels. There are as many as 80 types of autoimmune diseases.

Depending on the type, this autoimmune disease can affect one or many body tissues. This causes the growth of the organs to be abnormal and results in changes in the function of the organs. Treatments for autoimmune diseases focus on reducing symptoms and immune system activity because there is no cure for them.

What are the common autoimmune diseases?

The following are the types of autoimmune diseases that are common:

1. Rheumatism

Rheumatism or arthritis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the joints. The immune system produces antibodies that stick to the lining of the joints, so immune cells attack the joints and cause inflammation, swelling, and pain. People with rheumatism usually feel symptoms such as sore, stiff, and swollen joints, so they can reduce their movement. If left untreated, rheumatism can gradually lead to permanent joint damage.

2. Lupus

Lupus or systemic lupus erythematosus can occur when the antibodies produced by the body attach to tissues throughout the body. Some of the tissues commonly affected by lupus are the kidneys, lungs, blood cells, nerves, skin, and joints. People with lupus can experience symptoms, such as fever, weight loss, hair loss, fatigue, rash, pain or swelling in joints and muscles, sensitivity to sunlight, chest pain, headaches, and seizures.

3. Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a disease caused by the rapid growth of new skin cells that accumulate on the surface of the skin. This disease causes the skin to become reddish, thicker, scaly, and looks like white-silver patches. Apart from that, it can also cause itching and soreness of the skin.

4. Inflammatory bowel disease

The immune system that attacks the lining of the intestine is called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), because it can cause chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. This disease can present with symptoms of diarrhea, rectal bleeding, urgent bowel movements, abdominal pain, fever, weight loss, and fatigue.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease. Symptoms of Crohn's disease are accompanied by mouth ulcers, whereas symptoms of ulcerative colitis are often accompanied by difficulty passing stools.

5. Diabetes mellitus type 1

This disease is caused by immune system antibodies that attack and destroy insulin-producing cells (a hormone needed to control blood sugar levels) in the pancreas. As a result, the body cannot produce insulin, so that your blood sugar levels become high. This blood sugar that is too high can then affect your vision, kidneys, nerves and gums. Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus need regular injections of insulin to control the disease so that it does not get worse.

6. Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis or multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the protective layer around the nerves. This can cause damage that affects the brain and spinal cord. People with multiple sclerosis may show symptoms, such as blindness, poor coordination, paralysis, muscle tension, numbness, and weakness. Symptoms can vary because the location and extent of the attack varies between individuals.