The immune system of a lot of people is failing to distinguish between healthy cells and invading micro-organisms. This is leading to more suffering across the globe. Organs and tissues are being attacked by defenses against disease that they once had.
Major international research efforts are underway to stop this trend, including an initiative at London's Francis Crick Institute, where two world-renowned experts, James Lee and Carola Vinuesa have established distinct research groups to pinpoint the precise causes of autoimmune disease and other conditions. well-known.
Lee stated that cases of autoimmune disease are on the rise since around 40 years ago in the West. But, we're now seeing some emerge in countries that never had such diseases before.
The Middle East and East Asia have seen the highest increase in cases of inflammatory bowel disease. Prior to that, they had never had any experience with the disease.
Type 1 diabetes can be associated with rheumatoid or multiple sclerosis. In all cases the immune system becomes confused and switches to healthy tissue over infective agents.
There are at least 4,000,000 people with autoimmune conditions in the UK as well as some suffering from multiple. Globally, it's believed that the prevalence of autoimmune disorders is increasing at the rate of 3%-9% per annum. Many researchers believe that environmental factors are the primary reason for this increase.
Lee who worked previously in Cambridge University, said that the human genetics of humans is not changing over the last few decades. There's got to be something external that is causing our predisposition for autoimmune disease.
Vinuesa was the one who supported this idea. Vinuesa was previously at the Australian National University. She noted that there were shifts in diets when more people ate western meals and more fast food.
Vinuesa explained that a few essential elements in fast food diets are missing, including fibre. It is known that altering a person’s microbiome (the collection of microorganisms that we are able to digest) could result in an impairment in certain bodily functions.
Changes in our microbiomes trigger the development of autoimmune diseases, of which more than 100 have been diagnosed.
Both scientists stressed that individual risk factors were involved in contracting these illnesses. These ailments also include celiac disease as with lupus, which causes inflammation and swelling and can cause damage to various organs, including the heart.
"If you don't have a certain genetic susceptibility it is unlikely that you will develop an autoimmune disease, no matter the amount of Big Macs you eat," said Vinuesa. "We have no way to stop the rapid growth of fast-food restaurants all over the world. Instead, we're focusing on the genetic factors that cause autoimmune diseases. We are trying to understand the reasons why certain people are more vulnerable to autoimmune diseases than others. "We are trying to address the issue on a fundamental level."
This is made possible due to the development of techniques that allow researchers to detect tiny DNA differences across a large number of people. This way, it is possible to find common genetic patterns in people suffering from an autoimmune disease.
Lee explained that the ability to sequence large quantities of DNA has changed the entire process. We didn't have these tools until recent. My research showed that there are about six DNA variations that are involved in the development of inflammatory bowel diseases. Today, we have more than 250.
Lee and Vinuesa are pursuing such work because they want to understand how genetic pathways function and the causes of the various illnesses that doctors are currently looking into. Vinuesa said there could be many versions of some autoimmune disorders, like Lupus. This could have an adverse effect on your ability to discover the most effective treatment.
There are a lot of beneficial new treatments that are being developed all the time, but we don't know which patients to give them to, because we now realise we aren't sure of the version of the disease they are suffering from. This is the purpose of research on autoimmune disease. It is important to understand how to stratify and group patients in order to give them the right therapy.
Lee explained that the increasing incidence of autoimmune disease around the globe means that new treatments and medications are urgently needed more than ever. Lee also said that there's at present no treatment for autoimmune diseases. These often are seen in children when they are trying to finish their studies, get a job, and start families.
It means that a growing number of people will have to undergo surgery or regular injections. This can be extremely stressful for patients and put a huge strain on the health services. It is crucial to find innovative treatment options that are more efficient and effective.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. It's caused when the immune system targets healthy body tissues. However, it's not yet understood what causes this.
The immune system creates antibodies that fight off viruses and bacteria. This helps you fight infection.
Your immune system might 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 is a protective layer on your joints, can be inflamed and inflamed which releases chemicals and cause injury.
bones
Cartilage - The connective tissue that is stretchy and connects bones
Tendons are connective tissue that connects bone and muscles.
Ligaments - Check out The tissue that connects cartilage and bone
These chemicals can cause rheumatoid joint harm if it isn't addressed. The chemicals can eventually lead to the destruction of the joint in its entirety.
There are a myriad of theories on the reasons why your immune system attacks joints, such as the possibility of an infection as the trigger. However, none of these theories has Read More been proven to be true.
Possible risk factors
You could be at a higher risk of developing rheumatoidarthritis if you do not take the following steps:
Your genes - There's some evidence to suggest that Rheumatoid arthritis is passed down through families. However, the likelihood of it passing on to children is low as genes play a limited role in the condition.
hormones. Rheumatoid arthritis can be more prevalent in women than men, which could be due to effects of the hormone oestrogen, though this has not been proved
Smoking is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis. There is evidence to support this.