If you’re worried about an increase in autoimmune diseases in the region because you’re hearing more people talking about their rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis or lupus diagnosis, fear not: There isn’t an increase. What you’re noticing is actually a good thing. It’s the better job our medical community is doing to diagnose these diseases.
There are many different kinds of autoimmune diseases, but they all involve instances where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own organs and tissues.
Basics of autoimmune disease and women
These diseases also are commonly more prevalent in women than in men. In fact, according to Dr. William Beers, a rheumatologist with St. Elizabeth Physicians, around 75 percent of people living with autoimmune diseases are women.
Women who are most susceptible to autoimmune diseases are of childbearing age. So, why women and why during that period of their lives?
“We simply do not know that,” Beers said. “There are limitless theories of why this might be.”
Complications with pregnancy
To complicate matters, Beers said, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus react differently during pregnancy. When women with rheumatoid arthritis are pregnant, for instance, their symptoms tend to go away. (Roughly 75 percent of women with rheumatoid arthritis will have decreased symptoms during pregnancy.) Conversely, when women with lupus are pregnant, their symptoms tend to flare.
“Even though they’re all autoimmune diseases, they’re all variable,” Beers said.
Living with autoimmune disease
What’s important to note about autoimmune diseases, Beers said, is that these are no longer crippling diseases without a decent treatment. In the last 20 to 30 years, disease-modifying medications have been developed to treat the disorders.
“Untreated, yes, these are dangerous and debilitating conditions, but with treatment, we can put these conditions into remission and people do very well,” he said.
