Top Autoimmune Diseases

DISEASE	AGE OF ONSET	IMPACTED TISSUES	SYMPTOMS	MECHANISM	CURRENT TREATMENT
Addison's disease	Children or young adults	Adrenal glands	Fatigue Low blood pressure Muscle weakness Sometimes darkening of the skin Weight loss	Inadequate production of cortisol and, sometimes, aldosterone	Hormone replacement for cortisol and, if needed, aldosterone
Allergic asthma	Teenage years	Lungs	Constricted airways Inflamed airways	Exposure to allergens (e.g. pet dander, mold, etc.) Immunoglobulin E (IgE) increases upon inhaling allergens	Prevent exposure Bronchodilators IgE blocker
Crohn's disease	All age groups, but usually diagnosed between 20 and 30 years of age	Digestive tract	Abdominal pain Arthritis Diarrhea Fever Weight loss	Inflamation, caused by tumor necrosis factor	Anti-inflammatory drugs Corticosteroids Immune suppressors Nutritional supplements Surgery
Type 1 Diabetes	Childhood and young adult	Islet cells in the pancreas	Hyperglycemia Hypoglycemia Ketoacidosis Celiac disease	Destruction of islets cells prevents the production of insulin	Insulen replacement
Graves' disease	Usually after the age of 20	Thyroid	Anxiety Irritability Difficulty sleeping Enlarged thyroid (goiter) Fatigue Fine hand tremors Frequent bowel movements Increased perspiration Rapid or irregular hertbeat Sensitivity to heat Weight loss	Immune system attacks on the thyroid gland cause an overproduction of thyroxine	Beta blockers Anti-thyroid medications Radioactive-iodine treatments Surgery
Multiple sclerosis	Ages 20-50	Central nervous system	Bladder dysfunction Bowel dysfunction Dizziness Depression Fatigue Numbness Vision problems Walking difficulty	Degeneration of myelin sheath around nerves	Interferon beta 1-a Glatiramer acetate Mitoxantrone Natalizumab
Myasthenia gravis	Women under 40 years of age and men over 60	Neuromuscular junction	Muscle weakness, especially of the eyes, face, and swallowing muscles in the throat	Antibodies attack acetylocholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction, which prevents the flow of information that leads to muscle contraction.	Anticholinesterases Immunosuppressants
Psoriasis	Often 15-35	Skin and/or joints	Inflamed patches of skin	Faster growth cycle of skin cells	Phototherapy Topical treatments, such as steroids Systemic medications, such as biologics and cyclosporine
Rheumatoid arthritis	Middle age	Joints	Aches Fatigue Joint deformity, pain, stiffness, and swelling Loss of muscle strength Low-grade fever	Inflammation of the membranes that line joints	Abatacept Cortisosteroids COX-2 inhibitors Immunosuppressants Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories Rituximab Tumor necrosis factor blockers
Systemic lupus erythematosus	Usually the ages 18-45	Any part of the body, but often blood vessels, joints, lungs, nervous system, and skin	Anemia Joint pain Oral ulcers Rashes Sensitivity to sunlight Shortness of breath	Autoantibodies attack tissues, which triggers inflammation	Aspirin Avoiding sunlight Corticosteroids Exercise Immunosuppressants Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories