The immune system of many people is failing to distinguish between healthy cells from invading microorganisms. This is leading to greater suffering throughout the world. They are being attacked by defenses against disease which were designed to defend the body from infection.
International research efforts are accelerating to combat this trend. A prime example is the London Francis Crick Institute initiative where James Lee and Carola Vinesa who are world-renowned experts in this field, have created distinct research groups that will assist in determining the exact nature of the autoimmune disorders.
Lee stated that cases of autoimmune disease have been on the rise since around 40 years ago, in the west. New cases are being reported in countries where these conditions have not been seen before.
The Middle East and East Asia have seen the highest growth in cases of inflammatory bowel disorders. Before that they had hardly had any experience with the disease.
Type 1 diabetes is among the autoimmune diseases. Other diseases include rheumatoid, inflammation of the bowel, and multiple sclerosis. In all cases, the immune system is triggered to attack healthy tissues and not on infectious agents.
The UK has at most 4 million people who have these conditions. There are also many other. According to global estimates, the number of sufferers of autoimmune diseases is rising by anywhere from 3% to 9% each year. Researchers believe that environmental triggers are the primary reason for this increase.
Lee who was located at Cambridge University, stated that genetics hasn't changed much in recent years. So something must be changing in the outside world in a manner that's leading to an increase in our risk of developing an autoimmune disorder.
Vinuesa who was based at Australia National University backed the notion. She mentioned the shifts in diets that occurred as more countries adopted west-style diets and people were eating more fast-food items.
Vinuesa said that fast food meals contain a few essential ingredients, such as fiber. The evidence suggests that this can alter the microbiome of a person that is the collection of microorganisms that reside in our gut. Microorganisms play a crucial role in controlling many bodily functions.
These changes to our microbiomes can trigger autoimmune disorders that are of over 100 different types.
The scientists both stressed that each person is susceptible to developing these illnesses, which include celiac, Lupus, and various other illnesses such as celiac that cause swelling and inflammation and may cause severe damage to the organs of various.
Vinuesa said that autoimmune disorders aren't something you could develop if you don't possess a particular genetic susceptibility. There is no way to stop the proliferation of fast-food establishments all over the world. Instead, we are focusing on understanding the genetic factors that underlie autoimmune disorders and why some individuals are susceptible while others are not. That is the level that we are aiming to address this issue."
Scientists are now able to detect tiny differences in the DNA of a large number of people. This is possible because of new techniques. It is now possible to discern common genetic patterns among individuals suffering from an autoimmune condition.
Lee says that although we had the technology to sequence DNA an extent up to a point however, it was not possible. When I first began my research in the early 1990s, we knew only about 50% of the Read More DNA variants that are involved in the development of inflammation in the intestines. We now know about 250.
Lee and Vinuesa concentrate their efforts on this type of work. They seek to understand more about genetic pathways that are involved and discover the root causes of diverse diseases they study. When you examine immune-mediated diseases, such as, lupus - it has been made clear that there are numerous different variants of themthat could be caused by different genetic pathways, Vinuesa explained. When you're trying to find the most effective treatment for your condition, this could be a problem.
We have lots of potentially useful new therapies that are being developed all the time However, we don't know the patients they should give these treatments to because we've come to realize that we don't know exactly which version of the disease they suffer from. This is an important aspect in the field of autoimmune research. It is essential to learn how to categorize and group patients in order to give them the appropriate treatment.
Lee stated that due to the rise in Check out autoimmune diseases all over the globe, new treatments and medicines are required more urgently than ever. There are currently no cures for autoimmune diseases that usually manifest in young people , as they are trying to complete their studies, secure their first job, and start families, he added.
This means that more people will need to undergo surgery and/or have frequent injections during their life. This could be very stressful for patients, and put a massive burden on healthcare services. Hence the urgent need to find new, effective treatments.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disorder. This means that the immune system attacks healthy tissue. It's still not known what triggers this.
The antibodies that your immune system makes to attack bacteria and viruses are essential to fight infections.
If you suffer from Rheumatoid arthritis, your immune systems mistakenly transmits antibodies to your joints the lining of your joints, and they target the tissues around them.
This causes the thin layer of cells (synovium) that covers your joints to become swollen and inflamed. It releases chemicals that damage nearby:
bones
Cartilage - The connective tissue which connects cartilage and bones
The tendons are the tissue that connects muscle and bone
Ligaments – The tissue connecting cartilage and bone
If rheumatoid isn't treated it will cause the joint lose its shape. It can eventually cause the total destruction of the joint.
There are many theories as to how the immune system is a threat to joints. For instance an infection could be a trigger. However none theory is proved.
Possible risk factors
Rheumatoid-related arthritis may be caused by a range of causes, including:
your genes - there's some evidence that rheumatoid arthritis can be passed down in families, though the likelihood of passing it on is believed to be minimal as genes are only thought to play a minor role in the condition
Hormones The autoimmune disease Rheumatoid is more prevalent than ever among women, perhaps because of the effects of estrogen on the body. This link, however, has never been proven.
Smoking cigarettes - There is evidence that those who smoke are more likely to develop rheumatoidarthritis.