A growing number of people across the world are suffering because their immune systems are unable to discern between healthy cells and invader micro-organisms. Immune defenses against disease that used to protect them are instead attacking their organs and tissue.
International research efforts are underway to stop this trend. A London-based initiative known as the Francis Crick Institute, has two world experts, James Lee & Carola Vinuesa created separate research teams to figure the causes behind the autoimmune condition.
The number of cases of autoimmune diseases increased about 40 years ago in the West, Lee told the Observer. But, the diseases are now showing up in nations that haven't experienced them before.
For instance, the Middle East/east Asia has seen the most recent rise in inflammatory-bowel disease cases. They had not seen the disease prior to.
Type 1 diabetes can be associated with rheumatoid or multiple sclerosis. In all cases, the immune system is triggered to attack healthy tissue and not infectious agents.
The UK is home to at least 4,000,000 patients suffering from these diseases. There are many others. According to estimates from international sources the amount of patients suffering from autoimmune disorders is on the rise by between 3% - 9% each year. Many researchers believe that environmental factors play a the major role in this rise.
Human genetics haven't changed over the last several decades, claimed Lee, who was previously located at Cambridge University. There must be something taking place outside that is increasing the risk of developing autoimmune disease.
This idea was backed by Vinuesa who was located at the Australian National University. She noted that there had been shifts in diets when more people ate western meals and increased consumption of fast food.
Vinuesa says that many fast-food products lack essential ingredients such as fibre. The change could affect your microbiome, which is the collection micro-organisms that are found in our bodies, and which plays a critical role in controlling different bodily functions.
These changes in microbiomes lead to autoimmune diseases. There are over 100 different types.
Both researchers said that certain people have a higher risk of getting these diseases. These include celiac as well as lupus, which can trigger inflammation and swelling and result in damage to many organs including the heart.
Vinuesa said that "If you don't have genetic susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, you won’t necessarily get one, regardless of how many Big Macs you eat." "There is not a lot we can do to slow the global spread of fast-food franchises. Instead, we're trying to understand the genetic causes of the autoimmune diseases and why some people are susceptible to it. This is the way we intend to solve the problem."
This task is possible thanks to the development of techniques that now allow scientists to pinpoint tiny DNA differences among large numbers of individuals. In this way, it is possible to determine common genetic patterns in people suffering from an autoimmune disease.
Lee said that the capacity to sequence huge amounts of DNA has transformed the way we do everything. We didn't have these tools until the last few years. My research showed that there are about six DNA variations that are involved in the development of inflammatory bowel diseases. Now we know of over 250.
Lee and Vinuesa are working on these kinds of research because they want to know how the genetic pathways function and the causes of the various diseases that doctors are examining. Vinuesa claims that it's now apparent that there exist various types of autoimmune diseases like Lupus. These may all be caused by various genetic pathways. And Click here that has a consequence when you are trying to determine the most effective treatment.
There are a lot of new therapies that are likely to be beneficial, but we don’t have the right patients. In fact, we don’t have the data we require to know if these patients suffer from the same illness. This is a major goal in autoimmune research. It is essential to understand how to classify and stratify patients so we can offer them the best therapy.
Lee stressed that the rising incidence of autoimmune diseases around the world meant that new therapies and medications were urgently needed. There are currently no treatments for autoimmune diseases that typically affect Read More young peoplewho are trying to find their first job, graduate from school, and raise their families.
This means that a growing number of people are having surgery or require injections regularly throughout all of their lives. It's a bleak time for patients, and put a huge strain on health services. So, it is essential to find effective and new treatments.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disorder. This means that the immune system attacks healthy tissue. It's unclear what triggers this.
The immune system creates antibodies that fight viruses and bacteria, helping you fight infections.
If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system is sending antibodies to the lining of your joints which attack the tissues surrounding the joint.
The delicate layer of cells (synovium), that covers your joints, gets inflamed and swollen.
bones
Cartilage - The connective tissue that connects bones and cartilage
Tendons, the tissues that join muscles to bone
Ligaments These are the tissues that connects bones and cartilage.
If the problem isn't addressed, it will gradually cause the loss of alignment and shape. In the end, it could ruin the joint completely.
There are many theories on why the immune systems attacks the joints. One theory is that an infection might be a trigger. But none of these theories have been confirmed.
Possible risk factors
There are a variety of factors that may increase your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, for example:
You can inherit it from your genes. Although there are some indications that rheumatoid arthritis could be passed down the generations but the odds of developing it are very low since genes play a minor role in the condition.
The condition is more prevalent among women than males. This may be due to estrogenic effects, but this has not been proved.
smoking cigarettes - some research suggests that those who smoke have a higher chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis