Autoimmune Diseases

Description

Autoimmune Diseases (Known, Unknown, and Other)

In healthy immune systems, five components of the immune system (white blood cells, antibodies, the complement system, the lymphatic system, the spleen, the thymus, and bone marrow) synergistically work together to protect against harmful or foreign substances such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and cancer cells.  However, in autoimmune diseases the immune system not only targets foreign substances but also targets normal tissues and cells within vital organs (i.e., kidneys, liver, lungs, nervous system), joints, blood vessels, and other organ systems.  Essentially, the immune system turns against the body, apparently failing to distinguish between “self” and “non-self” leaving a path of inflammation or damaged tissues resulting in pain, decreased mobility, fatigue and other symptoms.

Because of the wide spectrum of autoimmune diseases, their symptoms, and the overlap of these diseases and their symptoms points to the difficulty in making and early and accurate diagnosis of these diseases.  In fact, it may take many years and numerous doctor visits to receive a correct diagnosis.

There are more than 80 autoimmune diseases, and it is suspected that at least 40 additional diseases have an autoimmune basis but are not yet completely understood or identified. Approximately 7-10% of the population suffers from an autoimmune disease, with women and some races being commonly disproportionately affected.  For example, Lupus is found in women 10 times more commonly than men and tends to be more severe in North American Black peoples.

Causes of Autoimmune Diseases:

Just as the frequency of autoimmune diseases appears to be increasing for unknown reasons, the cause of most autoimmune diseases is largely unknown. Often there are inherited (genetic) predispositions.  However, many experts agree that some autoimmune diseases are accelerated or aggravated by certain environmental exposures and may be caused by a foreign substance (viruses, bacteria, other microbes) that have similarities to proteins in the human body. This is a phenomenon referred to as “molecular mimicry”.

Other environmental agents include exposure to drugs, pollutants, chemicals, or toxins.  Some experts believe that an environmental agent, such as a chemical, attaches to or alters a self-protein which then triggers an immune response that shifts either partially or entirely to attack normal self-proteins.

Regardless of the cause, autoimmune diseases can be perpetuated by the body’s production of antibodies that target a person’s own cells, tissues, and/or organs – hence the term “autoantibodies”, which means “self-antibodies”.  Autoimmune disease activity often fluctuates, but typically leads to unwanted inflammation and/or a varying degree of tissue damage leading to debilitating symptoms.

Diagnosis of Autoimmune Diseases:

Autoimmune diseases fall into two general categories:

1. Systemic autoimmune diseases (those that involve many organs), and
2. Localized (organ-specific) autoimmune diseases.

The distinction between these two categories can often become blurred as localized autoimmune diseases frequently overlap or co-exist with systemic autoimmune diseases.

As noted above, diagnosing autoimmune diseases is very challenging because autoimmune diseases are complex and often present with signs and symptoms seen in a wide variety of conditions.  Because of the overlapping complexity and variations from one patient to the next, many clinicians often discover that one diagnostic test cannot fully diagnose a particular autoimmune disease.

None-the-less, the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease typically involves a primary consideration of symptoms (which can be vague and misleading), patient physical examination, the results of autoantibody diagnostic tests, at times, the results of body organ imaging (X-ray, CT scan, MRI), and/or a biopsy and pathology examination of involved tissues.

Two of MitogenDx’s primary goals are to assist health care professionals to:

1. MAKE an EARLY and ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, and
2. GENERATE HIGH QUALITY DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION to enable health care providers to respond with timely, efficient and effective treatment plans for their patients.

These goals are aimed at addressing the lengthy time to receive an accurate diagnosis because a late diagnosis often correlates with patients having an advanced stage of the disease, which can be very difficult to reverse.  Making an early and accurate diagnosis has proven to significantly improve patient outcomes.

To view the autoimmune diagnostic tests offered by MitogenDx view either the test menu, requisition forms, or the list of related diseases that then link to the relevant autoimmune diagnostic tests.