Worldwide, many people suffer from the inability of their immune systems to distinguish between healthy cells and invading microorganisms. The immune system is being attacked by the disease defenses that used to guard them.
International research is being undertaken to counter the growing trend. This includes a project at London's Francis Crick Institute where two world-renowned experts, James Lee, and Carola Vinuesa, have formed distinct research groups to determine the root causes of autoimmune diseases.
Lee told the Observer the extent to which auto-immune cases has grown over the last 40 years, particularly in Western countries. There are now cases in countries that had never seen such diseases.
For example, the biggest recent spike in the number of cases of inflammatory bowel disease has been in the Middle East and east Asia. The patients had never previously experienced the disease.
Type 1 diabetes is among the autoimmune disorders. Other diseases include rheumatoid, inflammation of the bowel, and multiple sclerosis. Every case is unique. In all cases, the immune system crosses its wires and turns on healthy tissues, not infectious agents.
The UK has at least 4,000,000 individuals suffering from these ailments. There are also many other. It is believed that autoimmune disorders increase by anywhere from 3% to 9% each year across the globe. Many scientists believe environmental factors are a key factor in this rise.
Lee who used to be situated at Cambridge University, stated that human genetics have not changed in the last few years. There must be something outside that is causing our predisposition to autoimmune disease.
Vinuesa was the one who was the one who believed in this concept. Vinuesa was previously at the Australian National University. She highlighted changes in diet that were happening as more countries adopted western-style diets and people ate more fast food.
Vinuesa said that the absence of vital ingredients in fast-food meals can result in a decrease in intake of important nutrients, like fibre.
Changes in microbiomes can then trigger autoimmune diseases. More than 100 types of autoimmune diseases have been discovered.
Both researchers emphasized that individual vulnerability was a factor in the development of such illnesses, ailments that also include celiac disease as with lupus, which causes swelling and inflammation that can cause harm to different organs, including the heart.
Vinuesa claims that anyone who doesn't suffer from a genetic susceptibility to develop an autoimmune disorder, regardless of the quantity of Big Macs they consume. "There's nothing we can do to stop the worldwide spread of fast food franchises. Instead, we are trying to understand the fundamental genetic factors that lead to the development of autoimmune diseases, and makes some people susceptible but others not. We are trying to address the problem at this level."
Modern technology allows us to spot tiny differences in DNA across large populations of people. This is how it's possible to identify common genetic patterns in people suffering from an auto immune Check out disease.
Lee stated that up until recent, we didn't have the tools to sequence DNA. Now, we're blessed with this incredible power that has completely changed the way we do things. When I started doing research, we had only fifty DNA variants that were involved in triggering inflammation in the bowel. Now, we know over 250.
Lee and Vinuesa concentrate their energies on this particular type of work. They seek to understand more about genetic pathway and determine the causes of different diseases they're studying. If you take a look at a variety of immune-mediated diseases, such as, lupus - it has become clear recently there are many different versions of these diseases, which could be caused through different genetic pathways Vinuesa explained. If you're trying to determine the most effective treatment for your condition, this can be a problem.
We are blessed with a wealth of useful new therapies that are developing constantly, but we don't know which patients to give them to, because we've realized that we aren't sure of the version of the disease they suffer from. This is why research into autoimmune diseases has become a priority. In order to provide the appropriate treatment, we have to understand how to categorize patients.
Lee said that there are more autoimmune diseases than ever, and new drugs and treatments are needed urgently. Lee said that at present there is no treatment for autoimmune diseases. They typically occur in young adults who are trying to finish their studies and secure an employment.
This means that more people are going to require surgery or require regular injections for the rest their lives. It can be very challenging for patients, and puts stress on health care systems. This is the reason we have to develop innovative and effective treatment options.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an immuno-mediated disorder. It's unclear what causes this.
The immune system creates antibodies that fight viruses and bacteria, helping you fight infections.
If you have Rheumatoid Arthritis Your immune system mistakenly transmits antibodies to your joints the lining of your joints, and they target the tissues around them.
The thin, cell-like layer covering your joints (synovium), to become irritated and painful this releases chemicals that cause harm around the joint.
bones
cartilage - the stretchy connective tissue between bones
Tendons are the connective tissue that connects muscle to bone
Ligaments - The tissues that connects cartilage to bone
If the condition is not treated, it can gradually result in the loss of joint alignment and form. Then, eventually, it will ruin the joint completely.
There are a myriad of theories on the reasons why your immune system attacks joints, such as the possibility that an infection could be a trigger. However, none of these theories have been confirmed as true.
Possible risk factors
Rheumatoid arthritis can be caused by a number of reasons, such as:
your genes - there's some evidence to suggest that arthritis may run in families, although the risk of inheriting it is believed to be minimal since genes are believed to play a tiny role in the condition
hormones. Rheumatoid arthritis can be more common in females than males, and this may be because of the impacts of the hormone oestrogen, although this link has not been proved
There is evidence that smokers are rheumatoid arthritis ppt at a higher risk of developing rheumatoidarthritis.