The majority of people in the world are suffering with an immune system that doesn't differentiate between healthy cells, invading bacteria and disease. They are now being attacked by the defense mechanisms which were designed to defend the body from infection.
Research efforts across the globe are accelerating to combat this trend. One illustration is the London Francis Crick Institute initiative where James Lee and Carola Vinesa two experts from around the world in the area, have formed separate research groups that will aid in determining the precise nature of the autoimmune disorders.
Lee explained to the Observer that autoimmune illnesses began to rise around 40 years ago, in western nations. However, these illnesses are now being seen in countries which have never experienced them before.
The Middle East, East Asia and Africa have experienced the highest increase in cases of inflammatory bowel disease in recent years. They'd never experienced the disease.
Autoimmune disorders can vary from type 1 diabetes to Sclerosis chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis. In each of these cases the immune system becomes confused and shifts to healthy tissue over infective agents.
These ailments have been documented by at least 4 million people in the UK. Certain sufferers could be affected by more than one. It is widely believed that the amount of autoimmune diseases is growing by between 3 and 9 percent each year. Numerous researchers believe that environmental factors play a the major role in this rise.
Lee who was previously employed in Cambridge University, said that the human genetic makeup hasn't changed in the past decades. There must be something outside that's responsible for our predisposition to autoimmune disease.
Vinuesa was the person who supported this idea. Vinuesa was previously at the Australian National University. She highlighted the changes in the way people eat as more nations were adopting western eating habits, and people were eating much more fast-food.
Vinuesa indicated that the lack of some vital ingredients in fast-food meals could result in a decrease in the intake of essential nutrients, such as fiber.
The changes in our microbiomes can cause autoimmune diseases, of which there are more than 100 kinds.
The scientists both stressed that every person is susceptible to developing these illnesses that include celiac, Lupus, and other conditions, such as celiac, which trigger inflammation and swelling and may cause severe harm to different organs.
Vinuesa states that a person who doesn't suffer from a genetic susceptibility to develop an autoimmune disease regardless of the quantity of Big Macs they eat. "There's not much we can do to stop the worldwide expansion of fast food chains. So instead we're working to discover the basic genetic factors that lead to the development of autoimmune diseases, and makes some people susceptible but others not. "We are trying to address the problem at this point."
Modern technology has made it possible to detect tiny variations in the Click here DNA of large numbers of people. It is possible to determine common genetic patterns between people who suffer from an autoimmune disease.
Lee said that the capacity to sequence large quantities of DNA has revolutionized everything. We did not have these tools until recently. When I began my research, we knew about half a dozen DNA variations which were responsible for triggering inflammation in the bowel. Today, we have over 250.
This is at the center of the work done by Lee and Vinuesa. They aim to discover how different genetic pathways function and to discover the different kinds of diseases that scientists are currently researching. Vinuesa says that it is now apparent that there exist numerous types of autoimmune disorders such as Lupus. These may all be caused by various genetic pathways. It is crucial to recognize the implications of this when trying to find the right treatment.
Many new therapies are being developed and we don't know who to give these treatments to. Since we don't have a clear understanding of their exact disease, there are many possibilities. That is the goal of research on autoimmune disease. We have to learn how to categorize and stratify patients so we can offer them the best treatment.
Lee stated that the rising incidence of autoimmune diseases across the globe mean that new medications and treatments are needed now more than ever before. Lee said that today there's no treatment for autoimmune conditions. They typically occur in young adults trying to complete their studies and secure work.
This means that more people will need to undergo surgery and/or have frequent injections during their lives. This can be very difficult for patients, and put a massive burden on healthcare services. Therefore, it is imperative to come up with effective and novel treatment options.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease. It is a condition where the immune system attacks healthy tissues. But, we don't know what triggers it.
The immune system typically produces antibodies that fight viruses and bacteria, helping to fight infection.
If you have Rheumatoid Arthritis the immune system transmits antibodies to your joints' lining, where they attack the surrounding tissues.
This causes the thin synovium layer, of cells that cover your joints to become sore. It also releases chemicals that can cause injuries to the area.
bones
Cartilage is the connective tissue that connects bones and is composed of cartilage.
Tendons are the connective tissue that connects bone and muscles.
Ligaments The ligaments are the tissues that connects bones and cartilage.
If rheumatoid isn't treated and the chemicals are not addressed, they slowly make the joint to loose its shape. It could eventually cause the destruction of the joint.
Though there are many theories that explain how the immune system attacks joints, none have been proved.
Possible risk factors
You may be more at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis if you do the following:
The genes. There are some signs that rheumatoid-related arthritis could run in families. But, Check out because genes play a tiny part in the course of development and progression, there's a low chance that the condition will be passed on to the next generation.
Hormones – Rheumatoid arthritis is more prevalent for women than for males. Though this could be due in part to the impact of the hormone oestrogen on the body, it hasn't been proven.
smoking cigarettes - some research suggests that those who smoke have an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis