Autoimmune Disorders
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What are autoimmune disorders?
Autoimmune disorders are conditions that cause the body’s immune system to attack and damage healthy or normal body parts like cells, tissues, or organs. Normal immune systems make antibodies that attack infections in the body. An autoimmune system creates antibodies against itself called autoantibodies.
A common way to treat and autoimmune disorder is with immune suppressant medications. These medications can suppress antibodies and autoantibodies or lower the number of white blood cells which can lead to higher chance of serious infections.
Managing the wanted and unwanted effects of these medications can be challenging and complex. Many people with autoimmune disorders use the skills of a care team to help them manage their condition.
There are more than 100 different autoimmune diseases and affect over 24 million Americans in the U.S..
Symptoms of an autoimmune disorder vary depending on type of immune response and location in the body, but common symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- General ill feeling (malaise)
- Joint pain
- Rash
Examples of autoimmune diseases
This is not a complete list of autoimmune disorders (there are over 100!) but these are examples you might not know where classified as autoimmune disorders.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Lupus
- Celiac disease
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Type 1 diabetes
- Psoriasis
- Graves’ disease
- Hashimotos thyroiditis
- Crohn’s disease
How can a group medical visit help?
Autoimmune conditions can be difficult to diagnose and some people may have an autoimmune disorder and not know it yet. There also aren’t any known cures to autoimmune diseases so treatment primarily helps patients manage their symptoms. Autoimmune disorders are disruptive to normal life and finding the right treatment, lifestyle, and coping mechanisms can be challenging.
Group Medical visits offer people an additional resource to help manage their conditions with the support of medical providers, dietitians, and mental health experts, as well as the lived experiences of other patients.