Autoimmune Diseases: Types And Causes

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April 23, 2024
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Autoimmune Diseases: Types And Causes

Autoimmune diseases, as the name suggests, generate itself. Now, how can a disease occur by itself without any medium? The answer to this is your immune system. The primary role of the immune system is to protect your body from the disease generating cells. Whenever a foreign disease cell enters your body, the immune system attacks those cells to prevent any further harm. The immune system follows this procedure for all the probable diseases. However, sometimes, the immune system attacks the cells of the body itself. Many cells in the body get multiplied daily. So, by mistake, the system takes them into account and attacks the body itself. These diseases account to be autoimmune diseases because the body got affected even after no external attack.

Causes Of Autoimmune Diseases

The list below provides common reasons for the mistaken attack of the immune system.

  • The first reason would be the DNA of the person. If the person’s ancestors have suffered the diseases from generations, then there are chances that they would contact the condition. These are also known as heredity diseases that run in the family for ages.
  • If a person stays or passes through some unhygienic place, then there are chances that the immune system mistakes the environment. So, the person can catch the disease through infection also.
  • These days’ people like to alter their diet to stay fit. So, these diet changes might also result in the generation of autoimmune diseases.
  • Moreover, the vaccine system has improved a lot in the past decade. So, the kids of the generation have less exposure to germs due to vaccines. Thus, there are chances that even a small change in the environment can generate weak immunity.

Some Diseases

Many diseases come under autoimmune disease. Some of the listed conditions might help you in understanding the faulty program.

Type 1 Diabetes

In type 1 diabetes, the person needs to consume insulin daily to control sugar levels. However, the pancreas generated insulin daily through cells. The immune system mistakes the insulin-producing cells as foreign and attacks them. So, in this way, insulin production decreases, and the sugar level goes out of body control.

Arthritis

The disease occurs when body immunity mistakes the joints as foreign cells. So, the system attacks joints and makes them weak, which leads to painful joints.

Multiple Sclerosis

The nervous system of the body has coating produced by cells. So, when the immune system attacks the nerve coating, then it disables message delivery from the brain to other body parts. Thus, the person becomes half-paralyzed and cannot function properly.

Thus, these diseases occur either due to heredity or some fault from birth. Moreover, the person needs to take care of their health to avoid the generation of the conditions. Immunity system not only helps in fighting with diseases but also to stay healthy. So, a person needs to focus on their health. They can achieve the target by doing regular body check-ups to trace even minor misshapes in the body.