Autoimmune Skin diseases|Autoimmune Disease
Until today, autoimmune diseases remain one of the mysteries of medicine. It is not completely clear why the own immune system, designed to protect against external aggression, rebels and directs its weapon - immune cells - against certain parts of the body.
A healthy immune system protects the body from external threats such as viral and microbial infections, fights inflammation and cell transformation. It represents a strong line of defense against various external aggressors. However, when the immune system does not function properly, instead of the real aggressors attacking its host (the tissues and cells of the body), an autoimmune disease develops.
There are over 80 known autoimmune diseases. Currently, they affect more than 10 million people in the country. While many of these are fairly common, others are rare and difficult to diagnose. Scientists are still researching what makes people vulnerable to autoimmune diseases and what exactly causes them. All autoimmune diseases have a so-called relapsing and remitting course. That is, a person may have long periods when he feels relatively well, followed by exacerbations or outbreaks of severe illness.
In conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and type 1 diabetes, the body mistakenly perceives cells from its own joints, skin, digestive tract, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, glands, or vital organs as foreign invaders. In response, the immune system forms so-called autoantibodies that target these normal cells as if they were harmful organisms that need to be destroyed.
Autoimmune disease is often misunderstood. The most common misconception is that autoimmunity is the cause of any condition in which inflammation is present. However, inflammation can be caused by many things, including warding off infection or healing from injuries and wounds, so in many cases inflammation is part of the healing process and is not a sign of abnormal immune function.
What are autoimmune diseases
Let's discuss some of the most common autoimmune conditions:
Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus). Lupus causes inflammation and cell damage that can affect several body systems, including the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, and red blood cells (red blood cells). A "butterfly" rash that spreads down both cheeks and nose is a hallmark of lupus, although not everyone with this pathology necessarily develops it. Lupus flare-ups can be caused by sunlight, infections, or certain medications.
Women of childbearing age are the group most at risk for this chronic disease; however, lupus can also affect men, adolescents, and children.
Rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints and many other tissues. Inflammation damages the lining of the joints (or synovium), which thickens, leading to joint pain and swelling. As rheumatoid arthritis progresses, irreversible joint damage can occur. Inflammation can damage cartilage and bones, and joints can become loose, painful, stiff (stiff), and stiff, deformed. Complications can be even more serious. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that may be associated with pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis causes progressive scarring of the lungs (replacing their tissue with inactive connective tissue bands). As the volume of the lungs is constantly decreasing, dyspnea increases in patients. Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect the esophagus and cause problems with swallowing. About a million Russians suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, and women are almost three times more likely to suffer from this disease.
Type 1 diabetes. Insulin is an important hormone that regulates blood glucose (or sugar) levels in the body. Left untreated, elevated blood sugar levels can lead to severe conditions (loss of consciousness, coma) and organ damage over time. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system targets insulin-producing cells in the pancreas called beta cells. As beta cells are destroyed, the body cannot produce enough insulin, causing blood sugar to rise to dangerously high levels.
Type 1 diabetes, if not properly controlled, can cause serious complications affecting the heart, blood vessels, nerves, kidneys, eyes, feet, and skin of the body. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the body burns fat instead of glucose and the blood becomes acidic (too many ketone bodies). This complication of uncontrolled type 1 diabetes can lead to coma if left untreated.
Type 1 diabetes, which is usually diagnosed during childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood.
Diseases of the thyroid gland.
Thyroid hormones regulate how the body uses energy or regulates metabolism. These hormones affect various organs and functions, including heart rate, weight loss and gain, cold tolerance, muscle control, and mood. An autoimmune disease can affect the thyroid gland, causing it to produce too much thyroid hormone (Graves' disease) or too little (Hashimoto's thyroiditis).
Graves' disease affects less than 1% of people and is eight times more common in women than men. Hashimoto's thyroiditis affects up to 5% of people, and is also more common in women.
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. In psoriasis, the immune system attacks healthy skin cells, causing red, itchy, scaly, and uncomfortable skin plaques. It also causes systemic inflammation that can affect the heart and other organs. Psoriatic arthritis and the associated inflammatory lesion causes joint pain, swelling, and damage. Up to 30% of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis. Skin damage often appears between the ages of 15 and 25, and arthritis usually develops between ages 30 and 50.
Myasthenia Gravis. The term myasthenia gravis means severe muscle weakness. In this condition, immune system proteins block the chemical communication between nerves and muscles. This disrupts proper muscle contraction and leads to muscle weakness.
The muscles involved in breathing, moving the arms and legs, moving the eyes and eyelids, chewing, and talking suffer. Myasthenia gravis can affect swallowing and facial expressions. Muscle weakness tends to worsen after physical activity and improves after rest.
Vasculitis. Vasculitis is swelling and inflammation of the blood vessels. ANCA vasculitis is a type of autoimmune vasculitis. Auto-antibodies called ANCA (anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies) target white blood cells called neutrophils, which then attack the small blood vessels in the body. Polyarteritis nodosa, another type of vasculitis that affects the arteries.
Common symptoms of ANCA vasculitis include joint and muscle pain, fever, and night sweats. When the kidneys are affected, high blood pressure, decreased kidney function, and kidney failure can occur. Lung involvement can lead to chest pain and hemoptysis. In polyarteritis nodosa, damage to the arteries can lead to high blood pressure, aneurysms, blood clots, and damage to organs, especially the kidneys. Various organs are affected, depending on where the vasculitis is most pronounced. For example, ANCA vasculitis can cause problems ranging from skin rashes to severe kidney damage.
Inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are chronic inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract. They can lead to severe and distressing symptoms such as severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. Both fall under the umbrella term inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Although the exact cause is not clear, IBD is believed to have autoimmune and genetic components. People aged 45 and older are more likely to report IBD.
Multiple sclerosis. Myelin is a protective sheath or layer of insulation that covers the nerves. In multiple sclerosis (MS), the immune system attacks the myelin around the spinal cord, brain, and optic nerve fibers. This disrupts the flow of information from the brain to the rest of the body. MS can be relatively mild or cause movement problems, numbness and weakness, unilateral vision loss, fatigue, dizziness, slurred speech, and other symptoms. Women are more likely to get MS, and it can run in families.
Scleroderma. Scleroderma is a disease that affects the skin and connective tissues throughout the body. In scleroderma, which literally means "hard skin", the body produces too much of the defective collagen protein. Collagen provides structure to muscles, connective tissue and skin, and increases skin elasticity. In some patients, scleroderma affects only the skin, while other patients suffer from systemic effects that can affect multiple areas of the body. Excess collagen can accumulate in various organs, impairing their function. For example, scleroderma can affect the lungs in two ways: it can cause fibrosis, or it can lead to pulmonary hypertension, which is high blood pressure in the lungs.
Skin diseases. Some autoimmune diseases are mainly related to the skin. These include blistering diseases such as pemphigus, bullous pemphigoid, and dermatitis herpetiformis, which is associated with gluten sensitivity due to celiac disease.
How are autoimmune diseases treated?
The treatment of autoimmune diseases includes a number of major categories. This is only a partial list - additional options are available for certain conditions. The treating physician should explain the benefits, side effects, and risks of any treatment being considered.
Medicines
Steroids. Glucocorticoid drugs are commonly used as the initial treatment for autoimmune conditions. These drugs fight inflammation and reduce the activity of the immune system.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. These are familiar medicines that can reduce inflammation and relieve symptoms.
local medicines. Ointments and creams containing corticosteroids, vitamin D, or other ingredients may help treat psoriasis.
Immunosuppressants. Such drugs suppress the immune system globally, but at the level of the whole organism.Biologicals. These targeted immunosuppressants block precise immune pathways in cells. TNF inhibitors, a category of biologics that act on a substance called tumor necrosis factor in the blood. They help reduce symptoms.
interferon beta preparations. These injectables are used to reduce the recurrence of multiple sclerosis.
Hormone replacement. Conditions that prevent the body from producing a particular hormone require constant replacement with medications such as insulin (type I diabetes) or thyroid pills (hypothyroidism).
intravenous immunoglobulin. This treatment, sometimes referred to as IVIG, involves a blood product containing antibodies.Therapy and procedures
Light therapy. Phototherapy with natural sunlight or artificial ultraviolet light can relieve the symptoms of psoriasis. Laser therapy is also sometimes used for more advanced forms of psoriasis.
Physical and occupational therapy. Physiotherapists work with patients who may benefit from exercise, walkers, canes or other mobility aids, and devices and methods to help them perform daily functions.
Plasmapheresis. This is also called plasma exchange and involves the removal, processing and replacement of plasma (the liquid part of the blood). Purified plasma does not contain antibodies that attack tissues in the body.
Kidney dialysis. Dialysis is used to remove excess fluid and metabolic waste products, replacing the functions that diseased kidneys can no longer perform.
Operations
Operations on the joints. Procedures including synovectomy (removal of the lining of the joint), joint fusion, and total joint replacement may be options for patients with advanced rheumatoid arthritis.
Thymectomy. Surgical removal of the thymus gland, a small gland associated with the immune system, can sometimes improve myasthenia gravis.
Thyroidectomy. This operation involves the complete or partial removal of the thyroid gland, for example, to treat goiter or hyperthyroidism.
Vascular shunting. This surgery is sometimes used to redirect blood flow around blocked blood vessels in patients with vasculitis.
Gastrointestinal surgery. Small bowel resection, which removes all or part of the small intestine, and colectomy, which removes all or part of the colon or large intestine, are sometimes used to treat inflammatory bowel disease.
Kidney transplant. Patients with severe kidney disease due to an autoimmune disease such as lupus may benefit from a kidney transplant.Home treatment and disease control
Self-management and lifestyle interventions can help control autoimmune conditions and improve quality of life. This direction may include the following:
physical activity can relieve symptoms and help control rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases, exercise can also improve mood;
people with type 1 diabetes need frequent blood glucose monitoring to control insulin dosing and maintain a stable blood glucose level;
Sun protection is critical for people with lupus—hats, long shirts, umbrellas, and sunscreen are essential for protection—controlled exposure to sunlight can improve skin symptoms of psoriasis.
Prevention of autoimmune diseases
Unfortunately, there are no real ways to prevent these diseases. Their cause is unknown, therefore, prevention consists only in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
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