The immune system of many people fails to differentiate between healthy cells from invading micro-organisms. This is creating more suffering around the world. They are now being attacked by the defense mechanisms that were previously used to protect the body from infection.
A major international effort in research is being conducted to stop this trend. A London-based organization called the Francis Crick Institute, has two world experts, James Lee & Carola Vinuesa created separate research teams to figure out the root causes of autoimmune disease.
Lee explained to the Observer that autoimmune illnesses began to rise around 40 years ago, in Western countries. We are seeing new cases in countries where these diseases have not been seen before.
For instance it is the Middle East and East Asia are the regions that have the highest number of cases of inflammatory intestinal diseases. The patients had never previously seen the disease.
Autoimmune disorders can be a variety of conditions, from type 1 diabetes to multiple Sclerosis as well as chronic fatigue syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. In all cases the immune system is activated and it starts to attack healthy tissues.
At least four million people living in the UK have been affected by these ailments. Other people may have more than one. It is estimated that autoimmune diseases increase by anywhere from three to nine percent per year worldwide. Researchers believe that environmental factors are the primary reason for this increase.
Lee who used to be located in Cambridge University, stated that the human genetics haven't changed in the last few decades. Therefore, something is changing outside of our body that could increase our vulnerability to developing an autoimmune condition.
This idea was backed by Vinuesa who was based at the Australian National University. She noted that there had been changes in the diet as more people ate western-style meals, and more fast food.
Vinuesa stated that fast-food meals contain a few essential ingredients, such as fiber. The evidence suggests that this alteration can influence the microbiome of an individual which is the accumulation of microorganisms in our digestive tract. These microorganisms play an crucial role in controlling many bodily functions.
The changes in our microbiomes then create autoimmune conditions, of which there are over 100 different types.
The two scientists agreed that people are susceptible to developing these illnesses. These include celiac and Lupus, which trigger swelling and inflammation and lead to harm to various organs, including the heart.
"If you don't have specific genetic susceptibility to autoimmune disease, you won't necessarily get an autoimmune disease, no matter how many Big Macs you eat," said Vinuesa. "There's not much we can do to stop the global spread of fast food franchises. Therefore we're working to unravel the genetic factors that lead to autoimmune diseases and make some people more susceptible than others. This is the stage that we are aiming to tackle this issue."
Thanks to modern techniques, researchers are now able to pinpoint tiny genetic differences among a large number of people. This is how it's possible to determine common genetic patterns for patients suffering from an auto immune disease.
Lee stated that we did not have the equipment to sequence DNA prior to. But, today we have the capability to sequence DNA on large scales, which has made a huge difference to our daily lives. Inflammatory bowel diseases were only one of the variants that we could identify when I began my study. Now, we know more than 250.
This research is at the heart of Lee and Vinuesa's research efforts that aim to find out how the various genetic pathways work and decipher the many different types of disease doctors are now looking at. Vinuesa has stated that there are many types of autoimmune diseases such as Lupus. It can be difficult to identify the appropriate treatment.
There are a lot of beneficial therapies developing constantly However, we don't know what patients to recommend the treatments, as we've come to realize that we aren't sure of the type of disease they suffer from. This is an important aspect in the field of autoimmune research. We have to learn how to classify and stratify patients so we can give them the right treatment.
Lee stated that the growing incidence of autoimmune diseases around the world meant that new treatment and drugs were needed urgently. According to Lee, currently there's no treatment for autoimmune conditions. They are most often seen in young adults who are trying to finish their education and find work.
This means that more patients are scheduled for surgery or be required to receive regular injections for the rest of their lives. It can be a stressful time for patients, and also puts an enormous strain on the healthcare system. This is why it is imperative to discover new, efficient treatment options.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disorder. This means that the immune system attacks healthy tissue. It's still not known what triggers this.
Your immune system produces antibodies that fight against viruses and bacteria, helping you fight infections.
Your immune system might mistakenly send antibodies to joints when you suffer from rheumatoid. These antibodies attack the surrounding tissue.
The thin layer of cells (synovium) that covers your joints, becomes inflamed and painful.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue that connects bones and is composed of cartilage.
Tendons - The muscle tissue that connects muscle to bone
Ligaments - The connective tissue between cartilage and bone
If rheumatoid joint disease isn't treated, these chemicals gradually cause the joint to change shape and alignment. The chemicals may eventually cause the degeneration of the entire joint.
There are many theories about how the immune system can attack the joints have been suggested for example, an infection acting as an underlying cause, however none of these theories have been proved.
Possible risk factors
There are many things that increase the risk of developing rheumatoid, for example:
The genes. There are indications that rheumatoid-related arthritis may be a family trait. But, because genes play a tiny role in the development of the condition and progression, there's a low risk of the Click here disease being transferred to the next generation.
Hormones Rheumatoid Arthritis is much more common in women than in men. This could be due Check out to the effects of the hormone Oestrogen. But, the link is not yet established.
smoking cigarettes - some research suggests that smokers have a higher chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis