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Autoimmune Diseases: When the Body Starts Attacking Itself
This week, we talk about a sickness called lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases
affect the immune system, the body’s natural defenses for fighting disease.
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The immune system normally protects the body against foreign materials, such as viruses and bacteria.
Autoimmune diseases result from a failure of the body’s own defenses against disease. The immune
system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign materials and its own cells. So the body starts
attacking its own organs and tissues.
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There are three kinds of lupus. Discoid lupus affects only the skin and can be identified by red marks on
the face or neck. These marks on the skin can also be a sign of another form of lupus called systemic
lupus. Systemic lupus can affect almost any organ or organ system in the body. When people talk about
lupus, they usually mean the systemic form of the disease.
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Some medicines can cause what is called drug-induced lupus. This form of lupus usually goes away when
the patient stops using the medicines.
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High body temperature and pain in the elbows or knees are often signs of lupus. Other signs are red
marks on the skin and lack of iron in the body. The person may also feel extremely tired. At different times,
the effects of lupus can be either mild or serious. The signs of the disease can come and go. This makes
identifying the disease difficult. There is no single test to tell if someone has lupus. Many people with lupus
also suffer from depression.
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Lupus can lead to other health problems. Women with lupus are at greater risk of developing heart
disease. And, between thirty and fifty percent of lupus patients will develop lupus-related kidney disease.
Lupus affects an estimated one million five hundred thousand people in the United States. Experts are not
sure what causes lupus. But the disease has been known to attack members of the same family.
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The singer Lady Gaga announced earlier this month that she was tested for lupus. She told CNN television
that the disease is genetic, and has affected members of her family. One of them is thought to have died
from lupus. The singer said the testing shows that she is, in her words, borderline positive for the disease.
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Scientists have identified genes they believe are linked to lupus. They hope studying these genes more
closely could help in development of new treatments for the disease, and possibly a cure. Recent studies
also support a theory that a combination of genes is linked to the development of lupus.
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Other suspected causes include antibiotic drugs, mental or physical tension, infections and hormones. In
fact, hormones might explain why lupus affects women more often than men. The Lupus Foundation of
America says more than ninety percent of the people with lupus are women. Scientists do not know why
women are more at risk. They think it might involve female hormones, like estrogen. Another idea is that it
could involve the foreign cells left in a woman’s body after a pregnancy.
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There is currently no cure for lupus. Yet doctors have developed ways of treating the disease. Treatments
are based on the condition and needs of each patient. No two individuals have the exact same problems.
A treatment could include a combination of stress-reduction methods and drugs like painkillers and
steroids. Anti-malaria drugs have been effective. Research has also suggested that supervised exercise
training can improve the quality of life for lupus patients
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It has been about forty years since the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug
especially for treating lupus. Several companies are working to make drugs that can help lupus patients.
Groups like the Lupus Foundation of America are working to increase public understanding of the disease.
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Lupus can be life-threatening if left untreated. Yet, many patients can lead a normal and healthy life if they
follow their doctor’s advice. Patients must take their medicines and keep looking for side effects or new
signs of the disease.
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Lupus is not the only autoimmune disease. Doctors and scientists have identified at least eighty other
diseases in which the body attacks its own organs and cells. Some of the diseases attack just one area of
the body, like the skin, eyes or muscles. Others affect an organ system or even the whole body.
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Some of the diseases are well known, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and type-one
diabetes. Others are not as well known. For example, celiac disease is difficult to identify because the
signs of the disease are so common. Patients may have low iron levels and experience stomach pain. The
uncontrolled release of bodily wastes is also a problem.
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Doctors might treat those problems and not know they are caused by celiac disease. Some people
develop celiac disease after eating gluten, a protein found in wheat products. It is not always clear that
eating something as harmless as wheat can be bad for a person’s health. For some patients, it can be
years before the problem is correctly identified.
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The United States National Institutes of Health says autoimmune diseases affect an estimated five to eight
percent of the country’s population. Other groups disagree. For example, the American Autoimmune
Related Disease Association says autoimmune diseases affect about fifty million Americans. That
represents about one-sixth of the population.