A growing number of people across the world are suffering because their immune systems can no more distinguish between healthy cells and invader micro-organisms. Instead of protecting themselves from disease the organs and tissues are attacked by these same defenses.
A major international effort in research is being conducted to stop this trend. A London-based organization known as the Francis Crick Institute, has two world experts, James Lee & Carola Vinuesa created separate research teams to find the causes behind autoimmune disease.
The incidence of autoimmune disease started to rise around 40 years ago in the West, Lee told the Observer. However, we are now seeing some emerge in countries that had never seen such diseases before.
The Middle East, East Asia and Africa have seen the highest increase in cases of inflammatory bowel disease over the last few years. They'd never heard of this disease prior to.
Autoimmune disorders range from type 1 diabetes to rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the bowel and multiple sclerosis. In all cases the immune system has its wires crossed and turns towards healthy tissue, not infectious agents.
The UK has at least 4,000,000 people who have these conditions. There are also numerous others. Globally, it's believed that the prevalence of autoimmune diseases is rising at a rate of between 3%-9% per annum. Many scientists believe that environmental factors play an important role in this rise.
Lee who was formerly in Cambridge University, says that human genetics hasn’t changed over the last decade. Something must be taking place outside that is increasing our risk of developing autoimmune disease.
This notion was endorsed by Vinuesa, who was previously located at the Australian National University. She pointed out that diet changes were happening as more countries adopted Western-style diets, and more people purchased fast food.
Vinuesa explained that a few essential components of fast food diets are not present such as fiber. There is evidence that altering the microbiome (the collection of microorganisms that we have in our digestive tract) could result in the loss of certain bodily functions.
The changes in our microbiomes are then triggering an autoimmune disease, and over 100 types have now been discovered.
Both scientists stressed that individual susceptibilities were involved in contracting these illnesses. These ailments also include celiac disease as well as lupus, which triggers inflammation and swelling and can cause damage to different organs, including the heart.
Vinuesa said that autoimmune disorders aren't something you can be diagnosed with if you don't possess a particular genetic susceptibility. "We have no way to stop the rapid Check out growth of fast-food outlets across the globe. Instead, we're focusing on the genetic factors that cause autoimmune diseases. We are trying to understand what makes certain individuals more vulnerable to the disease than others. That's the Click here level at which we intend to tackle this problem."
The development of modern technologies allows us to identify tiny differences in DNA between large groups of people. This makes it possible to determine common genetic patterns that are common to individuals suffering from an autoimmune disease.
Lee explained that until recently , we did not have the tools needed to sequence DNA. But now, we're blessed with this incredible power and it has changed everything. When I started my research at the time, we had only a glimpse of 50% of the DNA variants which were linked to the onset of an inflammatory intestinal condition. Now, we know more than 250.
Lee and Vinuesa have been involved in this studies since the beginning of. Their efforts aim to unravel the many kinds of diseases that doctors are currently investigating and discover the genetic pathways which lead to them. Vinuesa said there could be many versions of some conditions that cause autoimmune disease, such as Lupus. This could have a negative influence on your ability find the right treatment.
Although there are many potentially effective new therapies in development however, we're not sure the people they ought to be offered to. This is due to the fact that we do not know the exact type of their disease. This is a major goal in the field of autoimmune research. To find the best treatment, it is essential to know how to group and categorize patients.
Lee said that with the rising incidence of autoimmune diseases across the world, new treatments and drugs are now needed more urgently than ever before. Lee said that today there is no cure for autoimmune disorders. They usually occur in young adults trying to finish their studies and secure an employment.
This means that a growing number of people are having surgery or need regular injections for their entire lives. This can be a nightmare for patients and a massive burden on health care services. It is urgent to discover new, more effective treatments.
Rheumatoid is an auto-immune condition. It is a condition where the immune system targets healthy tissue. It's unclear what causes this.
The antibodies your immune system produces to fight bacteria and viruses is essential to fight infection.
If you have rheumatoid the immune system sends antibodies towards the joint's lining, where they attack adjacent tissue.
This causes the thin synovium layer of cells that surround your joints to become swollen. In addition, it releases chemicals that could cause injury to your nearby.
bones
Cartilage, which is the connective tissue between bones.
Tendons - The tissue that connects muscle and bone
ligaments, the tissue that connects bone and cartilage
Rheumatoid arthritis may be treated but not treated. The chemicals can make the joint unbalanced and distorted. Eventually, it can destroy the joint completely.
There have been a variety of theories as to why the immune system attacks joints. One theory is that an infection could be a trigger. But none of these theories have 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 may occur in families. However, since genes play only a small role in the development of the condition, there is little risk of the disease being passed on to the next generation.
Hormones: Rheumatoid arthritis is more common than ever among women, perhaps due to the hormonal effects of oestrogen. However, this link is not proven.
Smoking - Evidence suggests that smokers are more likely develop rheumatoidarthritis.