A growing number of people across the globe suffer because their immune systems are unable to more distinguish between healthy cells and invading micro-organisms. Disease defences that once protected them are instead attacking their tissue and organs.
International research efforts are being made to combat this trend - such as an initiative in London's Francis Crick Institute, where two world-renowned experts, James Lee and Carola Vinuesa, have created separate research groups that will help determine the exact nature of the autoimmune disorder, as these conditions are well-known.
Lee stated to the Observer the Observer that autoimmune diseases were increasing in the West in the past 40 years. However, these illnesses are now showing up in countries which have never experienced them before.
The Middle East and East Asia have seen the largest growth in cases of inflammatory bowel diseases. They had never before seen the disease.
Type 1 diabetes is often associated with rheumatoid or multiple sclerosis. In all cases the immune system is activated and it starts to attack healthy tissues.
The UK has at least 4,000,000 patients suffering from these diseases. There are also many others. Globally, it's estimated that the incidence of autoimmune disorders is increasing at a rate of between 3 to 9 percent per year. Numerous scientists believe that environmental factors are the primary factor in this rise.
Human genetics haven't changed over the last few decades, claimed Lee, who was previously working at Cambridge University. So, something is happening outside of our body that could increase our vulnerability to developing an autoimmune condition.
Vinuesa was the one who supported this idea. Vinuesa was previously at the Australian National University. She noted that there had been changes in the diet because more people were eating western-style meals, as well as increasing consumption of fast food.
Vinuesa explained that some essential elements in fast food diets aren't present such as fibre. It is known that altering the microbiome (the assortment of microorganisms that we have in our digestive tract) could lead to a loss in certain bodily functions.
These changes to our microbiomes then trigger immune-mediated diseases, of which over 100 types are now being identified.
The scientists both highlighted the importance of individual risk factors for developing such illnesses. The celiac and lupus diseases are two additional diseases that can cause swelling and inflammation that could result in damage to various organs, including your heart.
Vinuesa clarified that autoimmune diseases aren't something you could develop if you don't possess a particular genetic susceptibility. "We can do little to slow the growth of fast-food restaurants across the globe. Instead, we're working to understand how autoimmune diseases are caused and what genetic causes can make some people more susceptible to autoimmune diseases than others. That is the level where we plan to tackle this issue."
Due to the advances in technology, researchers are now able to find tiny differences between individuals' DNA. This allows us to identify the common genetic traits in those suffering from autoimmune diseases.
Lee explained that we didn't have the technology to sequence DNA prior to. However, now we do have the incredible capability to sequence DNA on massive scales, which is a major improvement to our daily lives. Inflammatory bowel diseases were only one of the variants we were able to identify when I began my research. Today, Read More we have more than 250.
Lee and Vinuesa focus their efforts on this kind of research. They want to learn more about the genetic pathways that are involved and find the causes of the diverse diseases they study. When you examine autoimmune diseases - for example, lupus - it has been made clear that there are numerous different variants of these diseases, which could be caused through different genetic pathways Vinuesa said. This can make it challenging to determine the best treatment.
Although there are many potentially effective new therapies in development however, we're not sure which patients they should be offered to. This is because we aren't able to pinpoint the precise nature of their disease. This is a key goal for the research into autoimmune diseases. To ensure that we deliver the best treatment we must be able to classify and categorize patients.
Lee said that the increasing rate of autoimmune illnesses across the globe meant that new therapies and medications were urgently required. He said that there is at present no treatment for autoimmune diseases. These tend to are seen in children when they are trying to finish their education, find work, and then start families.
This means that more people will have to undergo surgery and/or have frequent injections during their life. This could be extremely difficult for patients and place a strain on health care systems. So, it is essential to find effective and new treatment options.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune condition, which means it's due to the immune system attacking healthy tissue in the body. It's not yet known what triggers it.
Your immune system naturally creates antibodies to combat viruses and bacteria.
If you have rheumatoid the immune system sends antibodies towards the joint's lining which is where they attack the adjacent tissue.
The thin layer (synovium) that covers your joints, could be inflamed and inflamed which releases chemicals and cause damage.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue that connects bones and is composed of cartilage.
Tendons are the connective tissue between bone and muscles.
Ligaments form the connective tissue between bone and cartilage.
Rheumatoid arthritis is treatable but it is not controlled. These chemicals cause the joint to become dislocated and out of alignment. It can eventually destroy the joint.
There are a myriad of theories on the reasons why your immune system attacks joints, which includes the possibility that an infection could be an trigger. But none of them has been confirmed as true.
Possible risk factors
Rheumatoid-related arthritis can be caused by a number of reasons, such as:
The genes. There are some signs that rheumatoid-related arthritis could occur in families. But, because genes play a tiny part in the condition's development and progression, there's a low chance that the condition Read More will be passed to the next generation.
Hormones Rheumatoid Arthritis is much more prevalent in women than in males. This could be due to the effects of the hormone Oestrogen. But, the link has yet to be proven.
Smoking is a risk factor for rheumatoid artifiid. A few studies support this.