Addressing the Rapid Rise in Autoimmunity

A new review article titled The increasing prevalence of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases: an urgent call to action for improved understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention describes the increase in autoimmunity in recent years and how changes in our environmental exposures contribute to the increased prevalence of autoimmunity.

Recent investigations have found that autoantibody frequencies are rising, with 32% of adults over 60 possessing autoantibodies associated with rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune thyroid disease, or gluten-sensitive enteropathies. A striking example of the increase in autoimmune disease can also be found for type 1 diabetes, where scientists have identified an annual increase of 3-4% in incidences across the last few decades.

Frederick Miller, Scientist Emeritus at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and author of the review article, posits that the rapidly changing environment could account for these increases.

Environmental exposures that contribute to the rise in autoimmune diseases could include:

(1) changes in diet, which changes the composition of our microbiome

(2) chemicals found in our bodies derived from external sources (ex: pharmaceuticals, environmental pollutants, etc.)

(3) lifestyle changes

(4) stress

(5) sleep deprivation

(6) air pollution

Addressing the rise in autoimmunity requires global efforts across scientific research, public health, regulatory, funding, and drug development.

“The costs of inaction will be profound, and only by dedicating additional resources now can we decrease the future frequency, morbidity, mortality, and costs of these conditions,” Miller wrote in the article.

Citation:

Miller, F. W. (2023). The increasing prevalence of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases: An urgent call to action for improved understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Current Opinion in Immunology, 80, 102266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coi.2022.102266