Around the world, people are experiencing more pain because their immune systems are unable to discern between healthy cells from invader microorganisms. Instead of protecting them from disease the organs and tissues are being attacked by the same defenses.
International research is underway to combat the growing trend. This includes a project at London's Francis Crick Institute where two world experts, James Lee, and Carola Vinuesa have created separate research groups to identify the causes behind autoimmune disorders.
Lee stated to the Observer, that autoimmune cases were increasing in the West about 40 years ago. However, some of these cases are now being observed in countries that have not experienced such diseases.
The Middle East, East Asia and Africa have had the greatest increase in the number of cases of inflammatory bowel disorders in recent years. They'd never heard of the disease before.
Autoimmune diseases can vary from type 1 diabetes to multiple MS, chronic fatigue syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Each case is different. In all cases, the immune system crosses its wires and switches on healthy tissues instead of infectious agents.
The conditions have been identified by at least 4 million people in the UK. A few sufferers could be affected by multiple. It is estimated that autoimmune diseases are rising by 3to 9 percent per year worldwide. Many researchers believe that environmental factors play an important role in this rise.
Lee who was previously in Cambridge University, says that our genetics haven't changed much over the past decade. There's something else that's causing the predisposition of autoimmune diseases.
Vinuesa was the person who was the one who believed in this concept. Vinuesa was previously at the Australian National University. She emphasized that the changes in diets were occurring as more countries adopted Western-style diets and more people were buying fast food.
Vinuesa states that many fast-food meals lack vital ingredients, such as fiber. This could alter one's microbiome which is the collection micro-organisms found in our bodies and that play a crucial role in controlling different bodily functions.
Changes in our microbiomes can trigger autoimmune disease, of which more than 100 cases have been reported.
Both researchers stressed the fact that each person is susceptible to these illnesses. It includes celiac as well as Lupus. It triggers inflammation, swelling, and could cause damage and death to many organs, including heart.
Vinuesa says that an individual who doesn't suffer from a genetic predisposition will not develop an autoimmune disease regardless of how many Big Macs they consume. We can't stop the growth of fast-food establishments across the globe. We're instead trying to discover how autoimmune illnesses occur and what genetic pathways can make some people more susceptible than others. "We want to deal with Click here the issue at this level."
This task is possible thanks to the development of techniques which allow scientists to identify tiny differences in DNA among large numbers of individuals. In this way, it is possible to find common genetic patterns in people suffering from an autoimmune disorder.
Lee explained that until recent, we didn't have the tools to sequence DNA. But now, we're able to do it and it has transformed everything. When I started doing research, we knew about fifty DNA variants that were involved in triggering inflammation in the bowel. We now know about 250.
Lee and Vinuesa have been conducting this research since the start of. Their research aims to unravel the many kinds of diseases that doctors are currently researching and discover the genetic pathways that lead to these diseases. Vinuesa claims that it's now apparent that there exist many types of autoimmune conditions, like Lupus. They could all be caused by various genetic pathways. This could have a negative influence on your ability discover the most effective treatment.
There are many new therapies being developed and we don't know who we should give these to. Since we don't know their specific disease there are numerous choices. This is an important goal in the field of autoimmune research. To determine the most effective treatment, it is necessary to know how to group and stratify patients.
Lee said that the escalating instances of autoimmune diseases around the globe meant that innovative treatments and drugs were now required more than ever before. There are no current treatments for autoimmune diseases that are most often seen in young people, while they're trying to get their first job, graduate from school, and take care of their families.
It means many more people will require surgery or be required to receive regular injections throughout their lives. It's a very stressful experience for patients, and also stressing the health services. It is urgent that we find new treatment options that are more efficient and effective.
Rheumatoid is an autoimmune condition. It is a condition where the immune system attacks healthy tissues. But it isn't yet clear what triggers it.
The immune system usually produces antibodies that fight against viruses and bacteria, helping to fight off infection.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease where your immune system creates antibodies for your joints. They attack the joint tissue surrounding the joint.
The thin synovium layer of cells that surround your joints to become swollen. In addition, it releases chemicals that can cause injury to your nearby.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue that is stretchy and connects bones
Tendons are the connective tissue between bone and muscles.
ligaments - the tissue that connects cartilage and bone
These chemicals can lead to rheumatoid joints injury if the condition isn't addressed. These chemicals could eventually lead to the degeneration of the joint in its entirety.
Many theories on how the immune system can attack joints have been proposed, such as an infection being an underlying cause, however none of these theories has been confirmed.
Possible risk factors
There are a variety of factors that increase the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis including:
Genes. There are some signs that rheumatoid-related arthritis could occur in families. But, because genes play only a small Read More part in the course of development and progression, there's a low risk of the disease being passed to the next generation.
hormones. Rheumatoid arthritis is more common in females than males, and this may be because of the impacts of the hormone oestrogen, though this has not been proved
Smoking is a risk cause for rheumatoid artifiid. There is evidence to support this.