Autoimmune & Inflammation

The immune system is able to detect invaders (such as bacteria) and then figure out how to go about destroying or disabling the threat. The body uses three basic strategies to protect itself from infections. It first creates and maintains a barrier designed to keep bacteria and viruses out of the body (skin, mucus). If a foreign invader manages to get in, the immune system kicks in and specialized cells detect and eliminate the pathogen. The body continues to fight the invader until it has been destroyed and eliminated from the body. Inflammation is generally the body’s first immune response to infection and irritation and is often referred to as the innate cascade. It is characterized by redness, heat, swelling, pain, and the dysfunction of those organs involved. We would like to be able to think that our immune system could recognize our own body. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and sometimes our immune system attacks our own cells, causing a host of medical problems. After transplants, our immune response sometimes attacks the new tissues threatening failure. On a much lighter scale, sometimes the smallest triggers such as pollen and dust can cause an active immune response, causing allergy symptoms to be an annoyance for millions of people.

Allergic Rhinitis (Allergies)

Allergic rhinitis is a collection of symptoms, predominantly in the nose and eyes, caused by airborne particles of dust, dander, or plant pollens in people who are allergic to these substances.

When these symptoms are caused by pollen, the allergic rhinitis is commonly called hay fever. Hay Fever is one of the most common seasonal allergies, varying from region to region due to the types and amounts of flora and fauna present. Allergies are caused by an overactive immune response to substances, known as allergens, which are generally harmless to most people.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

A polyarthritis involving the spine, Ankylosing Spondylitis is characterized by progressive, painful stiffening of the joints and ligaments. It almost exclusively affects young men. Ankylosing spondylitis affects about 0.5 percent of people of Western European descent. This disorder occurs twice as often in men as in women, and symptoms tend to be more severe in men.

Arthritis

Arthritis is an inflammatory condition that affects the joints. It is an autoimmune disease because the body attacks healthy tissues instead of foreign substances. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes inflammation of joints and surrounding tissues, often affecting other organs. The cause is unknown. The course and severity of the illness varies considerably, with infection, genes and hormones contributing to the gravity of the disease. RA commonly affects joints on both sides of the body equally, with the wrists, fingers, knees, feet and ankles of the patient primarily affected.

Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmunity is the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts (down to the sub-molecular levels) as self, which results in an immune response against its own cells and tissues. More than 80 autoimmune diseases have been described to date. Some, such as type 1 diabetes, attack specific organs, while others, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), involve multiple organs. Although many autoimmune diseases are rare, collectively they affect approximately 5 to 8 percent of the U.S. population. A disproportionate number of people with autoimmune disorders are women. For unknown reasons, the prevalence of autoimmune diseases is increasing.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful progressive condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist. It occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome is especially common in those performing assembly line work.

Crohn’s disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines. It primarily causes ulcerations (breaks in the lining) of the small and large intestines, but can affect the digestive system anywhere from the mouth to the anus. Crohn’s disease also contributes to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Crohn’s may also cause other bowel abnormalities as well as affect other organs, contributing to skin rashes, fistulas, liver inflammation and arthritis. It is most common in people between the ages of 20 and 30. Both men and women can have Crohn’s disease.

Lupus

Lupus is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder which affects the skin, joints, kidneys and other organs. The immune system, which normally controls the body’s defenses against infection, is turned against the body’s own cells and tissues, leading to a chronic disease of the affected systems. The cause of the disease is not fully known, but researchers believe it happens following an infection with an organism which looks similar to proteins in the body. The protein is mistakenly targeted instead of the organism. This disease can affect most organs and organ systems in the body, with most people developing arthritis, rashes, kidney problems and blood disorders. The disease affects nine times as many women as men and may occur at any age, but appears most often in people between the ages of ten and 50 years.

Transplantation/ Transplant Rejection

Organ and tissue transplants are risky surgeries which aim to replace faulty or diseased organs with new, functioning organs usually donated from family members or organ donors. Patients run the risk, however, of their body not accepting the new organ or tissue, causing an immune system response against the foreign body. This is commonly known as transplant rejection. Systems of rejection tend to include the improper functioning of the organ, general discomfort or illness, pain, swelling and fever. Immunosuppressive drugs are needed to prevent organ rejection because organ and tissue transplantation almost always causes an immune response and could result in destruction of the foreign tissue.