Get to know various things about autoimmune diseases

Recently, more and more Indonesians experience autoimmune disorders. This disease occurs when a person's immune system attacks cells in his own body.

Is it true that autoimmune diseases cannot be cured? Then how to deal with this disease?

Recognizing autoimmune diseases

A person is said to have an autoimmune disorder if his immune system, which is supposed to function to attack and eliminate germs that enter the body, attacks the body's own cells. This attack on the body's own cells eventually causes systemic symptoms in various organs.

Apart from genetic factors, immune disorders can also be caused by vitamin D deficiency. It is not surprising that this disease used to occur in many non-tropical countries, aka subtropics.

Subtropical countries have cold winters so often the sun does not shine enough on the area and causes the inhabitants to experience it winter depression. For those with poor immune systems, this type of depression can make their immune conditions even lower. In order to avoid autoimmune diseases, they are advised to take vitamin D to replace sunlight that is less absorbed by the body.

These conditions are different from tropical countries, where the sun shines for most of the season. Supposedly with food intake alone, vitamin D in people living in tropical countries can meet their body needs.

But as lifestyles develop, this disease that attacks the immune system occurs in many people in tropical countries including Indonesia.

Conditions such as poor air quality, environmental pollution, high levels of stress, poor diet, and lack of physical activity are factors that increase the risk of this disease.

Symptoms and causes of autoimmune diseases

Symptoms in autoimmune disorders vary widely. The majority of these diseases are systemic in nature, so the symptoms that arise depend on the organs affected.

If the organ that is affected is blood, the red blood cells can decrease in number, anemia develops, and we feel tired and sleepy easily.

If this disease occurs in the joints, the symptoms that arise are pain and swelling in both large and small joints. In severe conditions, autoimmune lupus can attack the brain, cause seizures, or attack the kidneys which can cause serious damage to the kidneys.

The cause of autoimmune disease is not known for sure. However, individual and environmental factors play an important role as factors that increase the risk of developing this condition.

The individual factor in question is a genetic susceptibility that can be passed on to the next generation. While environmental factors range from unhealthy eating patterns, psychological stress, to excessive work intensity can also trigger the emergence of this disease in susceptible individuals.

Can autoimmune diseases be cured?

Basically, diseases that interfere with the body's immunity cannot be cured like high blood pressure (hypertension) or diabetes (diabetes). However, this disease can be controlled well.

If controlled properly, autoimmune sufferers will still be able to carry out daily activities like normal, healthy people. People with this disease can control their disease with effort and diligence in taking medication regularly, eating a healthy diet, and getting enough exercise.

Types of autoimmune disorders

Autoimmune disease has many types, up to 100 types. However, types that are quite common include systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and so on.

One autoimmune disease that has a large number of cases is systemic lupus erythematosus. This disease generally affects young women and causes multi-organ symptoms.

Another disease that is quite often found is rheumatoid arthritis which generally affects women. The symptoms that arise usually affect the joints, both large and small joints, such as swelling and pain in the joints.

This disease can also affect children with the most common type juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). JIA attacks joints in children with symptoms of pain and swelling in more than one joint, both large and small joints.

Other autoimmune diseases that can affect children are idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). ITP attacks the platelet cells in the child's body and causes a decrease in the platelet count. In severe conditions, this disease can cause bleeding, such as easy bruising and bleeding gums.

If the disease is well controlled, no dangerous conditions will arise. Conditions to watch out for are if the disease is not controlled and flares (relapse) which can lead to various complications.

For example, a relapsing condition in lupus can cause brain damage, loss of consciousness, and cause seizures. Recurrence of autoimmune disorders that attack the kidneys can lead to severe decreased kidney function to the need for dialysis. Meanwhile, if it is exposed to the heart, it can cause heart pump disorders.

The effect on the body

Autoimmune diseases have many effects on the body depending on which organs are affected. If an autoimmune disease attacks the blood system, it can cause fatigue, infection, and bleeding easily.

If this disease attacks the skin, a rash can occur, such as in lupus, which causes a rash on the face that looks like a butterfly. If it attacks a joint, it causes swelling and pain in the joint. If it attacks the kidneys, it can cause kidney leakage and in a long time can cause chronic renal failure or severe decline in kidney function.

Treatment of autoimmune diseases

Diagnosis in autoimmune sufferers is often quite difficult so that it needs to be handled by a specialist who is an expert in the autoimmune field.

After the diagnosis is confirmed, the patient must lead a healthy lifestyle, balanced nutritional intake, reduce stress, exercise regularly, take medication regularly, and see a doctor.

Autoimmune diseases are basically incurable, but can be well controlled like diabetes or hypertension where sufferers can also live healthy like normal people.