Your body is generally very good at telling what’s a foreign invader, like a virus or bacteria, and what’s not — but sometimes, it gets it wrong.
If you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system has begun to associate parts of your body, like your skin or joints, as foreign. When this occurs, the body releases antibodies that attack those healthy cells.
Essentially, your immune system overreacts. That’s what leads to autoimmune diseases. There are many of these kinds of illnesses, but some are much more common than others.
1. Rheumatoid Arthritis: Attacking Your Joints
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which your immune system attacks the joints throughout your body. It attacks the joints on both sides of your body and leads to uncontrolled inflammation that damages cartilage. The joints can begin to deform, and your bones can even erode.
You can experience symptoms like:
- Pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Weakness
With rheumatoid arthritis, you can have periods of remission when you have few to no symptoms, but these are followed by flare-ups.
2. Type One Diabetes: Targeting Insulin-Producing Cells
Your pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which regulates your blood sugar levels. If you have type one diabetes, your immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. You can experience symptoms like:
- Extreme thirst
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Frequent urination
- Weight loss
- Vaginal yeast infections
- Slow healing of sores and cuts
Type one diabetes has a strong genetic component, and there may be certain environmental factors, like viruses or toxins, that can also trigger the disease if you have a predisposition.
3. Multiple Sclerosis: Damaging Myelin Sheaths
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that damages the coating that surrounds nerve cells. These are called myelin sheaths, and if they’re damaged, the transmission speed of messages between your brain and your spinal cord can be delayed.
You can experience symptoms like:
- Muscle weakness
- Numbness
- Changes to your vision
- Loss of balance
- Mood changes
- Trouble with cognitive function
You can experience remission periods in which you may not have any symptoms.
4. Psoriasis: Leading Skin Cells to Multiple Too Quickly
Usually, skin cells grow and then die off and shed. Psoriasis causes cells to multiply too rapidly, leading to the formation of patches. People who have lighter skin tones can have patches that appear red with white plaque scales, while on darker skin tones, the patches can appear purple or dark brown with gray scales.
It can cause symptoms like:
- Raised areas of thick skin
- Rashes
- Flaky or scaly plaque
There are a few types of psoriasis, with some appearing in your skin folds and some even causing pus-filled bumps.
5. Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Swelling in the Intestinal Wall
Inflammatory bowel disease causes the lining of the intestinal wall to swell. Different parts of your gastrointestinal tract are affected depending on where the inflammation is located.
Symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Anemia
- Malnutrition
- Weight loss
- Rectal bleeding
- Fecal incontinence
One type of inflammatory bowel disease is Crohn’s disease, which can cause inflammation anywhere along the tract, from your mouth to your anus. Ulcerative colitis, however, affects the lining of the large intestine and rectum. Microscopic colitis causes inflammation that can only be seen via a microscope.
6. Lupus: Causing Inflammation Throughout Your Body
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes your immune system to attack your entire body. Common symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Swollen glands
- Hair loss
- Fever
- Rashes
- Blood clots
- Confusion
There are a few types of lupus, including lupus that only affects your skin and medication-induced lupus.
7. Graves’ Disease: Overworking Your Thyroid
This type of immune disease attacks your thyroid gland, leading it to produce too many hormones. This can lead you to experience symptoms like:
- Fast heartbeat
- Unintentional weight loss
- Goiter
- Heat intolerance
Some people who have this condition can experience symptoms that affect the skin or eyes.
8. Addison’s Disease: Impacting the Adrenal Glands
Addison’s disease is a chronic condition in which your adrenal glands don’t produce enough cortisol and aldosterone. Cortisol is a hormone that helps your body respond to stress while also helping you maintain blood pressure, heart function, and more. Aldosterone is a hormone that controls your body’s sodium and potassium levels.
You can experience symptoms like:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Patches of dark skin
- Fatigue that gets progressively worse
- Loss of appetite
- Dehydration
Some people also experience low blood sugar levels with the disease.
9. Sjögren’s Disease: Causing Dry Eyes and Mouth
This illness occurs when your immune system attacks the glands that create moisture in your mouth, eyes, and other parts of your body. There is primary Sjögren’s disease, which occurs on its own, and secondary Sjögren’s disease, which happens when another condition triggers the disease.
You can experience symptoms like:
- Dry nose and frequent nosebleeds
- Vaginal dryness
- Dry and itchy eyes
- Dry throat
Some people also experience muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, and even trouble swallowing.
10. Celiac Disease: Attacking the GI Tract
People who have Celiac disease can’t have gluten, which is a protein found in rye, wheat, and other grain products. If you have this disease, your immune system reacts to any gluten it finds in the small intestine, leading to inflammation. You can experience symptoms like:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal bleeding
- Constipation
Because your immune system attacks your gut if you eat gluten, it doesn’t allow you to receive the nutrients you need. People may experience nutritional deficiencies that can cause many other symptoms.
Managing Autoimmune Diseases with Regenerative Medicine
Most autoimmune conditions can be managed. One of the most promising options, especially when combined with other treatments, is regenerative medicine.
Regenerative medicine options like stem cell therapy harness your body’s natural healing mechanisms. They can help reduce inflammation, which plays a huge role in most autoimmune diseases. With less inflammation, blood circulation improves, bringing more nutrients and oxygen to the affected areas.
To determine whether regenerative medicine is a good choice to help manage your autoimmune conditions, consult with your doctor.
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