Autoimmune Disease & Inflammation

A healthy immune system defends the body against disease and infection, but if the immune system malfunctions, it can mistakenly attack healthy cells, tissues, and organs. Collectively diseases that result from dysfunction of the immune system, whether from abnormally low activity or over activity, are called autoimmune disease. These attacks can affect any part of the body, weakening bodily function and even turn life-threatening. More than 23 million people in the United States have an autoimmune disease and there are more than 80 known types of autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis.

Many autoimmune diseases have similar symptoms. One of the classic signs of an autoimmune disease is the redness, heat, pain, and swelling caused by inflammation. Though inflammation is critical for the body’s normal immune responses, chronic inflammation has been shown to cause tissue damage. For these reasons and others, avenues for autoimmune disease research include the role of inflammation associated with immune system response.

Treatments for autoimmune diseases vary depending on the disease, but mostly consist of ways to reduce symptoms and reduce the immune systems abnormal response. Currently, the cause for autoimmune diseases is unknown but, due to the rise of incidences of autoimmune disease, researchers suspect environmental factors play a role.