All over the world, people are experiencing more pain because their immune systems cannot distinguish between healthy cells and invading microorganisms. The defenses against diseases that were once protecting them are now attacking their tissue and organs.
International research is being undertaken to combat this trend. This includes a project at London's Francis Crick Institute where two world-renowned experts, James Lee, and Carola Vinuesa have established separate research groups that will determine the causes behind autoimmune disorders.
Lee revealed to the Observer the extent to which auto-immune cases has grown over the past 40 years, particularly in Western countries. We are seeing a few cases in countries that had never experienced such illnesses.
The Middle East, East Asia and Africa have had the highest increase in cases of inflammatory bowel disease over the last few years. They'd never heard of the disease prior to.
Autoimmune diseases range from type 1 diabetes, to multiple MS as well as chronic fatigue syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Each case is different. In every case the immune system is crossing its wires, and it switches to healthy tissue rather than infectious agents.
These ailments have been documented by as many as 4 million people in the UK. A few sufferers could be affected by multiple. Globally, it's estimated that cases of autoimmune diseases are growing between 3% and 9% a year. Many researchers believe that environmental factors play an important role in this rise.
Lee, who was previously based in Cambridge University, stated that genetics has not changed over the last few decades. It seems that something is happening in the world outside that is increasing our susceptibility to autoimmune disease.
Vinuesa, a former student at the Australian National University, supported this concept. She pointed out that diet changes were happening when more nations adopted Western-style diets, and more people purchased fast food.
Vinuesa stated that fast-food meals contain a few essential ingredients, such as fiber. Research suggests that this change could affect a person's microbiome, which is the collection of microorganisms living in our gut. Microorganisms play a crucial role in controlling many bodily functions.
The changes in our microbiomes can create autoimmune conditions, of which there are more than 100 kinds.
The two scientists also stressed that each person is at risk of developing these illnesses including celiac Lupus, and other conditions like celiac that cause swelling and inflammation and can cause significant harm to different organs.
Vinuesa clarified that autoimmune diseases aren't something you could be diagnosed with if you don't have a specific genetic susceptibility. There is nothing we can stop the expansion of fast-food chains across the globe. Instead, we're trying to figure out how autoimmune conditions can be caused and what genetic causes make certain people more susceptible to the disease than others. "We are trying to address the issue at this level."
Because of the advancement of technology, researchers are now in a position to detect tiny differences between people's DNA. This allows them to recognize common genetic patterns among those suffering from an autoimmune disorder.
Lee stated that we didn't have the tools to sequence DNA prior to. In the present, we do have the incredible capability to sequence DNA on huge scales. This is a major improvement to our daily lives. When I began my studies, we were aware of half a dozen DNA variants which were responsible for triggering inflammation in the bowel. Today, we have more than 250.
This is at the center of the work done by Lee and Vinuesa. They aim to discover the different ways that genetic pathways work and to discover the different kinds of diseases that doctors are currently studying. If you Click here look at some auto-immune diseases like the lupus disease - it's become clear recently there are many different versions of these diseases, which could be caused by various genetic pathways, said Vinuesa. And that has a consequence when trying to determine the best treatment.
Although there are many potentially effective new therapies in development but we aren't sure the people they ought to be given to. This is because we aren't able to pinpoint the precise nature of their disease. This is a major goal in research into autoimmune diseases. So that we can offer the most effective treatment we must be able to group and categorize patients.
Lee said that the increasing prevalence of autoimmune diseases across the globe meant that innovative therapies and medications were urgently needed. There is currently no treatment for autoimmune disorders, which often occur in young people, while they're trying to get their first job, complete school, and take care of their families.
This means that more people will have to undergo surgery or frequent injections during their lives. This could be extremely difficult for patients, and puts stress on the health system. Therefore, it is imperative to discover effective and innovative treatments.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune-mediated disorder. But it isn't yet clear what triggers it.
The antibodies that your immune system produces to fight bacteria and viruses is what you need to fight infection.
Your immune system could accidentally send antibodies to your joints in the event that you suffer from Rheumatoid. The antibodies attack tissues around them.
The tiny layer of cells (synovium) covering the joints to become sore and inflamed, which releases chemicals that harm nearby tissues:
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue which connects bones and cartilage
Tendons are the connective tissue between bone and muscle.
ligaments - the tissues which connects cartilage to bone
These chemicals can cause rheumatoid joint injury if the condition is not treated. These chemicals could eventually cause the degeneration of the entire joint.
There are many theories as to why the immune response attacks the joints. For example the possibility of an infection could be a trigger. But none theory is proved.
Possible risk factors
You could be at greater risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis if you do not take these steps:
The genes. There are indications that arthritis rheumatoid may occur in families. But, because genes play only a small role in the development of the condition it is not a high chance Read More that the condition will be transferred to the next generation.
Hormones - Rheumatoid Arthritis is more prevalent in women than in males. It could result from the effect of Oestrogen. However, this link is not yet established.
smoking - some evidence suggests that those who smoke have an increased risk of developing rheumatoid joint