A growing number of people across the globe suffer because their immune systems cannot more distinguish between healthy cells and invader micro-organisms. Disease defences that once protected themselves are now attacking their organs and tissue.
International research efforts are intensifying to combat this trend. An illustration is the London Francis Crick Institute initiative in which James Lee and Carola Vinesa, two world experts in the field, have created distinct research groups that will aid in determining the precise reasons behind autoimmune diseases.
Lee told the Observer that autoimmune cases started to increase around 40 years ago in western countries. There are now cases in countries that have never had such illnesses before.
The Middle East and East Asia have seen the highest rise in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disorders. They'd never experienced the disease.
Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, IBD and rheumatoidarthitis all are autoimmune illnesses. In all cases your immune system gets confused and switches to healthy tissues over infective agents.
The UK has at least 4,000,000 individuals suffering from these ailments. There are also numerous other. Internationally, it is currently estimated that the incidence of autoimmune diseases is rising at the rate of 3-9% per year. Most scientists believe environmental factors play a key role in this rise.
Lee who was previously employed in Cambridge University, said that the human genetic makeup has not changed over the past decades. There must be something outside that's causing the predisposition of autoimmune diseases.
Vinuesa who used to be situated at the Australian National University, endorsed the idea. She pointed to the changes in food habits that were taking place as more countries adopted western-style diets and people ate more fast food.
Vinuesa explains that many fast food meals lack vital ingredients, such as fibre. The change could affect the microbiome of a person, which is the collection micro-organisms present in our bodies which play an important part in regulating various bodily functions.
Microbiomes are the microbiome that is altered. This leads to autoimmune disorders. There are over 100 types.
Both scientists pointed out the significance of each individual's risk factors for developing such illnesses. The celiac and lupus diseases are two more conditions that can trigger inflammation and swelling that can cause damage to different organs which includes your heart.
Vinuesa said that "If you don’t have a genetic susceptibility to autoimmune diseases there is no guarantee that you'll get one, no matter the amount of Big Macs you eat." It's impossible to stop the expansion of fast-food restaurants all over the world. Read More Instead, we are trying discover the genetic factors that cause the condition and how individuals are more susceptible to it. "We want to deal with the issue at this level."
Scientists have the capability to detect tiny differences in the DNA of a large number of individuals. This is possible due to the development of the advancement of technology. This allows them to identify common genetic patterns in those suffering from an autoimmune disorder.
Lee claims that, although we had tools for sequencing DNA to a large extent until recently, it was not possible. We only knew about half dozen variations of DNA that could trigger inflammation in the bowel when I began my research. There are now more than 250.
This research is at the core of Lee and Vinuesa's research efforts, which aim to find out how the various genetic pathways operate and unravel the myriad of diseases that doctors are currently investigating. Vinuesa claims that it's now evident that there are various types of autoimmune diseases, like Lupus. All of them could be caused by different genetic pathways. This could have an adverse influence on your ability find the right treatment.
We have lots of Read More potentially beneficial therapies developing constantly however, we aren't sure which patients to give them to, because we've come to realize that we don't know for certain which version of the disease they have. This is one of the major goals in research into autoimmune diseases. We have to learn how to categorize and stratify patients so that we can offer them the best treatment.
Lee added that the increasing instances of autoimmune diseases around the globe meant that innovative treatments and drugs were now required more than ever before. It is not possible to cure autoimmune diseases. This happens when people are young and trying to finish their education or get their first job and have families.
It means that a growing number of patients will need to undergo surgery or regular injections. This can be extremely stressful for patients and put a huge strain on the health services. This is why it is imperative to develop new, effective treatments.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease, meaning it's caused by the immune system attacking healthy body tissue. It is not known exactly what causes this.
Your immune system normally produces antibodies to fight off viruses and bacteria to help fight off infection.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition in which your immune system transmits antibodies to joints. They attack the tissue around the joint.
The thin layer (synovium), which covers your joints, may become inflamed and inflamed and release chemicals that cause injury.
bones
cartilage - the stretchy connective tissue that runs between bones
The tendons are the tissue which connects muscle to bone
Ligaments - This is the tissue that connects bones and cartilage.
If the issue is not treated, it could cause the loss of joint alignment and shape. The chemicals may eventually cause the destruction of the entire joint.
There are many theories about why the immune system attacks joints, such as the possibility of an infection being a trigger. However, none of these theories has been proven to be true.
Possible risk factors
Rheumatoid-related arthritis can be caused by a number of reasons, such as:
The genes you carry - There is evidence that suggests that rheumatoid arthritis can run in families. It is unlikely that you'll inherit the disease. Genetics are believed to only play a minor role in it.
hormones. Rheumatoid arthritis is more common in females than males, and this may be because of the effects of the hormone estrogen, however, this connection hasn't been proven
smoking - some evidence suggests that those who smoke have an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.