The immune system of a lot of people are unable to differentiate between healthy cells and invading microorganisms. This is creating greater suffering throughout the world. Their organs and tissue are being attacked by disease defences which they had previously.
Major international research efforts are underway to combat this trend - for instance, a London-based initiative called the Francis Crick Institute, where two experts from around the world, James Lee and Carola Vinuesa have established separate research groups that will help determine the exact reasons behind autoimmune diseases and other conditions. recognized as such.
Lee explained to the Observer that autoimmune illnesses began to increase about 40 years ago in western nations. There are new cases in countries where these conditions were not seen before.
For instance, the largest recent rise in cases of inflammatory bowel disease has been located in the Middle East and east Asia. They had never before experienced the disease.
Autoimmune disorders range from type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. In all cases, the immune system is triggered to attack healthy tissue and not infective agents.
In the UK alone, around 4 million people have developed the condition, with some individuals suffering more than one. According to global estimates the amount of patients suffering from autoimmune disorders is increasing by 3% to 9percent each year. This rise is thought to be caused by environmental factors, as per the majority of scientists.
Lee who was previously in Cambridge University, says that human genetics hasn’t changed over the past decade. Therefore, something is changing out there in a way that is increasing our susceptibility to the autoimmune disease.
Vinuesa was the person who supported this idea. Vinuesa was previously at the Australian National University. She highlighted the changes in food habits as more countries adopted western-style eating habits and people consumed much more fast-food.
Fast-food diets lack certain vital ingredients, for instance fibre, and evidence suggests this alteration affects your microbiome, which is the micro-organisms reside in our digestive tract and that play an important role in controlling different bodily functions, Vinuesa said.
These changes in our microbiomes trigger an autoimmune condition, and more than 100 cases have been reported.
The two scientists also stressed that each person is susceptible to these diseases, which include celiac, Lupus, and various other illnesses, such as celiac, that cause swelling and inflammation and can cause serious damage to the organs of various.
Vinuesa states that a person who does not have a particular genetic predisposition will not develop an autoimmune disease, regardless of how many Big Macs they eat. "We are unable to stop the rapid growth of fast-food restaurants around the world. Instead, our focus is in understanding the genetic causes which cause autoimmune disorders and why some individuals are more susceptible than others not. We're determined to solve this issue at a high degree.
The development of modern technologies allows us to identify tiny differences in DNA across large populations of people. This is how it's possible to identify the common genetic patterns of those suffering from an auto immune disease.
Lee explained that the ability to sequence large amounts of DNA has revolutionized everything. We did not have these tools until recent. When I started doing research, we knew about fifty DNA variants that were involved in triggering an inflammatory bowel disease. We now have more than 250.
Lee and Vinuesa concentrate their energies on this particular type of research. They seek to understand more about genetic pathways that are involved and find the causes of the different diseases they're studying. Vinuesa said there could be multiple versions of certain conditions that cause autoimmune disease, such as Lupus. This could have an adverse impact on your ability to determine the best treatment.
There are a lot of beneficial new treatments that are developing constantly however, we aren't sure which patients to give them to, because we've realized that we aren't sure of the type of disease they have. This is one of the major goals in autoimmune research. For the right treatment, it's essential to know how to group and categorize patients.
Lee also stressed that surging cases of autoimmune illnesses across the globe meant that innovative treatments and drugs were now urgently needed more than ever before. He said that there is at present no treatment for autoimmune diseases. They typically are seen in children when they are trying to finish their education, find an employment, and begin families.
That means growing numbers of people face surgery or will be required to receive regular injections for the remainder of their lives. It can be devastating for patients as well as a huge pressure on healthcare. We require new and efficient treatment methods.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune-mediated disease. It's still not identified what causes this.
Your immune system produces antibodies that fight against viruses and bacteria, which helps to fight off infections.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition where your immune system transmits antibodies to joints. They attack the tissues around the joint.
The thin layer (synovium) that is a protective layer on your joints, could become inflamed and inflamed, releasing chemicals to cause damage.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue between bones that is composed of cartilage.
Tendons are the connective tissue that connects muscle to bone
Ligaments - The Read More ligaments - The tissue that connects cartilage to bone
If the problem isn't treated, it could result in the loss of joint alignment and form. The result could be irreparable.
There are a myriad of theories on why the immune system attacks joints, such as the possibility of an infection as an trigger. However, none of them has been proven to be Read More true.
Possible risk factors
There are many things which can increase your chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis, such as:
Your genes - There's some evidence that the rheumatoid arthritis condition can be passed through families. However, the likelihood of passing it on to a child is very low since genes only play a limited influence on the condition.
Hormones are responsible for causing arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is now more prevalent than ever in women, possibly because of the hormonal effects of oestrogen. However, this link, has never been proven.
Smoking is a risk factor for rheumatoid artifiid. Some evidence supports this.