Untangling a Complex Web: How to Categorize Autoimmune Disease
Advancements in autoimmunity reveal more about immune system malfunctions and disease triggers though diagnosis and classification remains complex.
01 July 2024
Age, Ethnicity, and Unexpected Connections in Autoimmune Risk Factors
In the first two parts of this article series, we discussed factors that may lead to the development of autoimmune diseases or the occurrence of flare-ups of existing ones. We highlighted genetic susceptibility, gender and sex, lifestyle habits, medications, microbial imbalances, and stress, among other triggers. Our review continues with three additional risk factor categories, including age, ethnicity, and diseases that are not related to autoimmune diseases.
31 May 2024
The Importance of Autoimmune Disease Research
What triggers autoimmunity? What drives its manifestations? Why do some succumb while others remain unscathed? And could restoring immune tolerance hold the key to salvation?
06 March 2024
Beyond Genes and Smoking: 5 More Triggers That Heighten Autoimmune Disease Risk
Learn more about how pathogen influences, dysbiosis, dietary impacts, environmental triggers, and stress connections increase your risk of developing an autoimmune disease.
26 February 2024
The Global Landscape of Autoimmune Disease
The exact percentage of the world’s population affected by autoimmune diseases is not well documented. Worldwide inequities and gaps in access to healthcare and data mean that the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases can differ significantly, which is a prime reason that much remains unknown. A broader lack of awareness around the burden of autoimmune disease is also a contributing factor.
20 February 2024
Breaking the Silence: Navigating Stigma and Shared Challenges in Long Covid and Autoimmune Disease
“The hope is that the floodgates will open and that other people with invisible illnesses will be able to come to the table and talk about their invisible symptoms and be welcomed and embraced,” says James C. Jackson, Director of Long-Term Outcomes at the ICU Recovery Center at Vanderbilt University.
19 January 2024
Agent Orange and Beyond: How Military Toxins Can Trigger Autoimmune Diseases
In the annals of military history, many battles were not only fought on foreign soil but within the bodies of the service-men and -women themselves. This invisible warfare was instigated by the exposure to various toxins, often used as weapons or as unintended byproducts of military operations. With insights from Mary Stout, who served two […]
16 October 2023
Outbursts in Autoimmunity: Disease Flare-ups
Unpredictable and disruptive, autoimmune disease flare-ups can throw a wrench in your plans. Discover the answers to some of the following questions in our article: What are the potential causes and triggers for autoimmune flare-ups? What is happening in the body when flare-ups occur? What flare-ups typically occur in common autoimmune diseases? How can flare-ups […]
11 April 2023
How Sex & Genetics Influence Autoimmunity
“There are very few conditions besides autoimmunity which have such remarkable differences in sex bias” says Veena Taneja of the Mayo Clinic, who is currently working with rheumatoid arthritis-associated bacteria in mouse models to define sex-specific responses and mechanisms. The reasons for such disparities are not fully understood, but Taneja says genetics, epigenetics, hormones, environmental […]
24 March 2023
Body Regions Commonly Affected by Autoimmunity
Autoimmune diseases can affect almost any part of your body and can be classified into systemic or organ-specific diseases based on their location. “The key thing is that you can actually test for an autoimmune reaction by looking at serologies in the blood,” said Gabriella Safdieh, an integrative medicine physician. “There are various serologies that […]
03 January 2023