Home > Autoimmune diseases

Women tend to be affected more often by autoimmune disorders, nearly 79% of autoimmune disease patients in the USA are women [1]. It is not known why this is the case, although hormone levels have been shown to affect the severity of the disease [2].

See also : Immune system.

Below is a listing of some actual and suspected autoimmune disorders, with brief descriptions and pointers to full articles.

1 Disorders believed to be autoimmune diseases

• Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), is an acquired immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system (e.g. not the brain and spinal column). It is also called acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, acute idiopathic polyradiculneuritis, acute idiopathic polyneuritis and Landry's ascending paralysis.

• Lupus erythematosus is an is a chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disease where the immune system, for unknown reasons, becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue. This attack results in inflammation and brings about symptoms.

• Multiple sclerosis is a disorder of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), which is characterised by decreased nerve function due to myelin loss and secondary axonal damage.

• Myasthenia gravis is a disorder of neuromuscular transmission leading to fluctuating weakness and fatigue. Weakness is caused by circulating antibodies that block acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction.

• Optic neuritis is an inflammationInflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. Inflammation is characterized by the following quintet: redness rubor , heat calor , swelling tumor , pain dolor and dysfuncti of the optic nerveThe optic nerve is the nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. Anatomy The nerve is the second of twelve paired cranial nerves but is usually considered to be part of the central nervous system as it is derived from an outpou that may cause a complete or partial loss of vision.

• PsoriasisPsoriasis is a disease whose main symptom is gray or silvery flaky patches on the skin which are red and inflamed underneath when scratched. In the United States, it affects 2 to 2. 6 percent of the population, or between 5. 5 million people. Commonly aff is a skinThis article is about skin in the biological sense. For other uses of skin see skin (computing) and skinhead. Regarding exposure of the skin to be seen by others, or prevention of this, see nudity, nudism, modesty, clothing. Fruits such as oranges also ha disorder in which rapidly multiplying skin cells produce itchy, scaly inflamed patches on the skin.

• Rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis RA is an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints. It is a disabling and painful inflammatory condition, which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. Features The Amer is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body's immune system to attack the boneFor other uses of the word "bone", see bone (disambiguation). Gray's illustration of a human femur, a typically recognized bone. Bone refers either to a hardened connective tissue or to one of the individual structures, or organs, into which it is formed, joints.

• Graves' disease is the commonest form of hyperthyroidismHyperthyroidism (thyrotoxicosis or "fast thyroid gland") is the clinical syndrome caused by an excess of circulating free thyroxine (T4) and free triiodothyronine (T3), or both. Major causes in humans are Graves' disease (the most common etiology with 70-, and is caused by anti-thyroid antibodies that have the effect of stimulating the thyroid into overproduction of thyroid hormone

• Hashimoto's disease is a very common form of hypothyroidism, characterised by initial inflammation of the thyroid and later dysfunction. There are several characteristic antibodies (e.g. anti- thyreoglobulin ).

• Type I Diabetes appears to be the result of an autoimmune attack on the islet cells of the pancreas.

• Aplastic anemia may sometimes be caused by an autoimmune attack on the bone marrow.

• Reiter's syndrome seems to be an autoimmune attack on various body systems in response to a bacterial infection and the body's confusion over the HLA-B27 marker

• Primary biliary cirrhosis appears to be an autoimmune disease that affects the biliary epithelial cells (BECs) of the small bile duct in the liver. The cause is yet to be determined but most of the patients (<90%) seem to have auto-mitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) against pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), an enzyme that is found in the mitochondria.

• Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome APS affects the blood clotting process. It causes blood clots to form in veins and/or arteries. Blood clots can occur anywhere in your body. Deep vein thrombosis,blood clots in arteries, miscarriage, heart attacks etc. may be the result of this disease.Doctor Hughes, an English Doctor, credited with discovering APS, compared the sticky blood "to an engine getting too rich a mix of gas and sputtering along." We do not know what causes APS. No cure is available yet. However, treatment is available to minimize the life threatening aspect of the illness.

• Opsoclonus Myoclonus syndrome OMS is a neurological disorder which appears to the result of an autoimmune attack on the nervous system. Symptoms include opsoclonus , myoclonus, ataxia, intention tremor , dysphasia, dysarthria, mutism , hypotonia, lethargy, irritability or malaise. About half of all OMS cases occur in association with neuroblastoma .