Autoimmune Diseases in Women

Posted on December 13, 2007 in Latest News

Your body’s immune system protects you from disease and infection. But if you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks itself by mistake. The term “autoimmune disease” refers to a varied group of more than 80 serious, chronic illnesses that involve almost every human organ system. It includes diseases of the nervous, gastrointestinal, and endocrine systems as well as skin and other connective tissues, eyes blood, and blood vessel. In all of these diseases, the underlying problem is similar–the body’s immune system becomes misdirected, attacking the very organs it was designed to protect.

About 75 percent of autoimmune diseases occur in women, most frequently during the childbearing years. Even though women’s greater susceptibility to autoimmune diseases has been recognized for more than 100 years, only recently has attention focused on this topic. The reasons for women being more prone to these diseases are still not very clear, although hormones are believed to play a role.

Diagnosis

For people with autoimmune diseases, getting a proper diagnosis can be one of the most difficult challenges they face. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) suggests the following steps:

Refer back to family history – An overview of family health problems, expanding the research beyond immediate family members should help get an authentic result regarding past instances of occurrence of the disease.

Discuss the findings with a reliable doctor – It is good to seek referrals to health centres or physicians in your community who could guide you better in going further with the diagnosis.

Get a thorough check-up done – Tests vary for different autoimmune diseases. The patient needs to understand that although diagnostic criteria define a disease, they are sometimes uncertain.
 

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