Let's highlight Autoimmune Diseases [or Disorders] this week:
- Autoimmune diseases include a broad category of related diseases in which the person’s immune system attacks their own tissue with symptoms that can vary from mild to severely affecting daily life
- Autoimmune disorders are chronic (ongoing) illnesses; there are no cures, only treatments and symptom management
- In many cases autoimmune disorders are inherited, but it is not known why some people have them
- AD are frequently classified into organ-specific and non-organ-specific types, though some of them fall between the two
- Patients can experience multiple organ-specific diseases at the same time
- Sources vary on an exact number of autoimmune disorders, but the current number ranges from 80 -140+ different types and can prove difficult to diagnose
- Autoimmune diseases and their effects on mortality and morbidity are significant
- Everyone experiences their illness differently
The Global Autoimmune Institute and the Autoimmune Association have a non-comprehensive, searchable database of autoimmune diseases.
Sources: "Autoimmune Diseases - an overview", "What is autoimmunity?", "Human autoimmune diseases: a comprehensive update"
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