Understanding Autoimmune Diseases: | List of Autoimmune Diseases USA

 

Table of Contents:

• What Are Autoimmune Diseases?
• How Many People Have Autoimmune Diseases?
• What Are Common Examples of Autoimmune Diseases?
• Why Do We Need Better Data on Autoimmune Diseases?
• What Challenges Do Autoimmune Diseases Present?
• FAQ

Understanding Autoimmune Diseases: When the Body Attacks Itself

Did you know that your body's defense system, designed to protect you from outside threats, sometimes turns on you? Autoimmune diseases describe a large group of health problems where the immune system, by mistake, attacks the body's own cells, tissues, or organs.

What Are Autoimmune Diseases?

The core problem in an autoimmune disease is simple: Your body views parts of itself as foreign invaders. Instead of protecting you, the immune system launches an attack against healthy body parts.

How Many People Have Autoimmune Diseases?

In the United States, about 15 million people have one or more of the 105 known autoimmune diseases. This number comes from a thorough study by Mayo Clinic researchers and their partners, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

• The problems these diseases cause vary widely. They affect almost any organ system.
• Women get these diseases more often than men.
• Understanding how often men and women get these diseases, and at what ages, is very important for research and for planning health care.

What Are Common Examples of Autoimmune Diseases?

The list below shows some of the autoimmune diseases seen often in the U.S. This list is not complete - there are over 100 documented diseases.

• Rheumatoid Arthritis - A widespread body inflammation that mostly harms the joints.
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus) - A disease that harms many body systems. It shows many different health issues.
• Multiple Sclerosis - A brain and nerve problem. The immune system damages the central nervous system.
• Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus - The immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.
• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - A thyroid problem where the immune system causes low thyroid hormone levels (hypothyroidism).
• Graves’ Disease - An immune system problem that causes high thyroid hormone levels (hyperthyroidism).
• Celiac Disease - A body reaction to gluten that harms the small intestine.
• Sjögren's Syndrome - Causes dry eyes and a dry mouth because the immune system destroys the glands that produce moisture.
• Ankylosing Spondylitis - A long-term inflammation disease that mostly harms the spine and the lower back joints.
• Myasthenia Gravis - A nerve-muscle disease where the immune system causes muscle weakness.
• Autoimmune Hepatitis - Long-term liver inflammation caused by the immune system attack.
• Psoriasis, also Psoriatic Arthritis - Immune problems that affect the skin and the joints.
• Autoimmune Addison's Disease - The destruction of the adrenal gland outer layer, leading to low adrenal hormone levels.
• Autoimmune Encephalitis - Brain inflammation caused by immune system processes.
• Antiphospholipid Syndrome - An immune problem that increases the danger of blood clots.

The Autoimmune Registry and other reliable groups keep records of over 100 diseases. The registry aims to learn more about these diseases by gathering facts about how often they happen, how many people have them, and who gets them. This type of information was hard to find before.

Why Do We Need Better Data on Autoimmune Diseases?

Accurate numbers and facts about who gets these diseases and how often help researchers and doctors a great deal. If we know the true scope of the problem, we know where to put our time and money.

What Challenges Do Autoimmune Diseases Present?

Autoimmune diseases are hard to deal with because they are complex. Their symptoms often look like other diseases, and they often cause long-term disability. They cause great sickness and cost the U.S. health system a lot of money.

We need continued research and correct data on how often these diseases occur. This work is necessary to improve diagnosis, treatment, as well as the proper distribution of medical resources.

If you wish to see a longer list and detailed information on autoimmune diseases, groups like the Mayo Clinic, the Autoimmune Registry, and the Global Autoimmune Institute offer reliable and current facts.

FAQ

How does the immune system get confused?

Scientists do not fully understand why the immune system starts attacking the body. A mix of genetic factors (what you inherit) and environmental triggers (like infections or chemicals) appear to play a role in making this mistake happen.

Are autoimmune diseases curable?

Most autoimmune diseases are chronic, which means they last a long time. While doctors often cannot cure them, they can treat the symptoms and control the immune response with medicines to help people live a better life.

If I have one autoimmune disease, will I get another one?

Having one autoimmune disease does increase your chance of developing another. For example, people with one thyroid autoimmune disease sometimes develop another type of autoimmune condition later on. Your doctor will watch you for new symptoms.

Resources & References:

1. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/new-study-calculates-autoimmune-disease-prevalence-in-u-s/
2. https://www.praespero.org/autoimmune-disease-list
3. https://www.autoimmuneregistry.org
4. https://www.jci.org/articles/view/178722
5. https://www.careinsurance.com/blog/health-insurance-articles/autoimmune-diseases-hidden-battles-within
6. https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/bone-joint-and-muscle-disorders/systemic-rheumatic-diseases/overview-of-systemic-rheumatic-diseases
7. https://www.lupus.org/resources/common-diseases-that-overlap-with-lupus
8. https://bloodcancerunited.org/autoimmune-diseases