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Autoimmune diseases -

"Autoimmune" is one of those common terms in the medical vernacular that you have probably heard but might not know what it means.

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Definition -

In simple terms, an autoimmune condition occurs when a person’s immune system can no longer tell the difference between invading organisms and healthy cells.

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Body attacks itself -

The result is that the body’s defenses, which once protected it against harmful bacteria and viruses, begin to attack healthy tissues and organs instead.

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Statistics -

There are many types of autoimmune diseases; according to The Washington Post, there are more than 80 conditions affecting around 50 million Americans alone.

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Common examples - Examples of more common autoimmune diseases include type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

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Early symptoms - Different autoimmune diseases may have similar early symptoms, including fatigue, low grade fever, muscle aches, and trouble concentrating.

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Unknown cause -

Doctors do not know exactly what causes someone to develop an autoimmune condition, but they do know that the number of cases is on the rise.

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Rising numbers -

Indeed, according to The Guardian, it is estimated that cases of autoimmune diseases are now rising between 3%-9% every year.

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Reason for the rise -

Since our genetics have not changed in recent decades, scientists believe that environmental factors must be responsible for this change.

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Fast food diets -

One suggested cause for the rise in autoimmune diseases is the fact that more people are adopting Western-style diets, which include fast food.

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Low in fiber -

According to scientist Carola Vinuesa, who is based at the Francis Crick Institute, fast-food diets lack certain important nutrients, such as fiber.

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Fiber and the microbiome -

This lack of fiber can affect a person’s microbiome, i.e. the collection of microorganisms in their gut that play a key role in regulating various bodily functions.

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The microbiome and autoimmune disease -

According to Vinuesa, these changes to a person’s microbiome can, in turn, trigger an autoimmune disease. That does not mean fast food is the only cause, however.

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The role of genetics -

There are also genetic susceptibilities that play an important role when it comes to deciding who will develop an autoimmune condition and who won’t.

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Genetic susceptibility -

This means that if someone does not have a genetic susceptibility, they will not necessarily develop an autoimmune disease, even if they gorge on hamburgers.

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Ongoing research -

Scientists are therefore working to understand the fundamental genetic mechanisms that make some people more likely to develop an autoimmune condition.

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The role of microplastics -

Another potential explanation for the rise in autoimmune diseases is increased exposure to microplastics, both via ingestion and by inhalation.

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What are microplastics? -

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles, smaller than 5 mm (about 0.2 in), which permeate the world around us. They’re in the ocean, the soil, and they even float around in the air.

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Taking in microplastics -

Research suggests that adults take in roughly 883 microplastic particles per day. That works out to around 332,000 particles per year!

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Harmful -

As you might have guessed, taking in microplastic particles, whether by ingestion or inhalation, is not good for us. In fact, it could be very bad.

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The effect of microplastics -

Microplastics seem to cause similar issues in our bodies as certain other environmental factors: oxidative stress, inflammation, and a dysregulated microbiome.

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Ongoing research -

There has been an explosion in microplastic research in the last few years, and the relationship with autoimmune disease is an area of active research.

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Women vs. men -

Another branch of research is looking at why women seem to be vastly more affected than men. According to The Washington Post, 80% of the people affected by autoimmune diseases are women.

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The role of Xist -

According to an international team of scientists at Stanford University, this may be due to a molecule called Xist, which is only found in women.

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Different chromosomes -

Women have two X chromosomes, while men have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome. A chromosome is a bundle of genetic material that contains instructions for creating proteins.

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Overproduction of proteins -

The role of Xist is to inactivate one of the X chromosomes in women, since otherwise there would be an overproduction of proteins.

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Xist and autoimmune disease -

According to recent research at Stanford, however, Xist also generates a strange molecular complex that has been linked to many autoimmune diseases.

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Unanswered questions -

The discovery of the role played by Xist in autoimmune diseases does not explain everything, however. It does not explain why men get these diseases at all, for example.

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Important step -

However, it is certainly an interesting development, and the new understanding may form an important piece of the puzzle.

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All in all -

A lot of progress has been made in the last 20 years in terms of improving the lives of people with autoimmune conditions. There is still a long way to go before they’re fully understood, however.

Sources: (The Guardian) (Global Autoimmune Institute) (The Washington Post)

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