Autoimmune diseases
A disease cataloged as an autoimmune disease can affect a tissue, an organ, an entire system, the complications will depend on how late are detected. Systemic Lupus is one of the best known autoimmune diseases; it can affect the individual in many different ways. Among the most affected organs by immune diseases are blood components, muscles, skin, and some glands such as pancreas and thyroid.
Among the possible causes for this kind of diseases, there is a consensus related to the important role played by genetic predisposition on the appearance of autoimmune diseases. Also some microorganism present on environment and some medicines increase the tendency of the organism to develop these autoimmune diseases.
A patient suffering of Systemic Lupus shows as a characteristic symptom a skin rash with the shape of a butterfly which places over the cheeks and the nose bridge, this rash may get worse if is exposed to sun light; kidneys, joints and skin are always the most affected by this disease. The lesions caused on different parts of the organism by Lupus may be permanent, since cells like those in charge of producing insulin may be destroyed by Lupus triggering in this way the emergence of diabetes.
A lot of autoimmune diseases are rare, although they affect millions of people; most of them affect women especially on reproductive age. Some of these autoimmune diseases affect with more frequency certain ethnic groups; in any case the impact produced by an autoimmune disease affects not only the life of the individual but social and family environment, this kind of disease has always social, economic and sanitary impact.
The immune system has two very important components; one of them is responsible for the production of antibodies which are proteins that recognize foreign substances triggering the elimination of them form the body. The second component is represented by special blood cells called lymphocytes T, they attack directly to foreign elements. When a child is born, the only protection she or he has against foreign elements is provided by antibodies transferred from the mother just before the delivery.
The protective quality of the lymphocytes T and antibodies is activated only after they are exposed at least once to a foreign substance; the application of vaccines is a way to allow the immune system to recognize inactivated or undermined forms of bacteria and viruses responsible for diseases.
In normal conditions immune system cells are able to distinguish tissues and cells that are part of the organism from foreign substances, thus immune system will not attack body cells, of course if the person receives a transplant there are chances that new organ cells may be rejected by the immune system of the organism.
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