Infectious Diseases, Bacteriology and Antibiotics

Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune disease affects 50 million people all around the world. It is one of the top ten causes of death in women under the age of 65, is the second highest cause of chronic illness, and is the top cause of morbidity in women in the United States. These diseases are an effect of a dysfunction of the immune system. The immune system protects a person from infection and disease. At times, the immune system produces autoantibodies that attack healthy cells, tissues, and organs. This can lead to autoimmune disease. It can affect any part of the body. Some of the well-known auto immune disorders are: type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, and Celiac disease while others are rare and difficult to diagnose. There are autoimmune diseases which are life-threatening, and most of them weaken the Human Immune System and require a lifetime of treatment. There are treatments available to reduce the symptoms and effects from many autoimmune diseases, but cures are yet to be discovered. Since most autoimmune diseases are rare, patients spend years seeking a proper diagnosis.