Autoimmune Disease Research Paper

Rheumatoid Arthritis or “RA” is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own body tissues. This disease affects the lining of joints causing pain and swelling. Eventually the swelling can lead to bone erosion and joint deformity. RA can happen to anyone at any age, but the majority of people who have to endure this disease are women over the age of 40.

Autoimmune disease- any of a large group of diseases characterized by abnormal functioning of the immune system that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues (the definition from wordnetweb.pronceton.edu).

As I was doing my research I came across the autoimmune part and totally lost. It’s a breakdown in the immune system. As we know every person produces their own cell types that fight off disease and infection. In order to fight off the bad bacteria our bodies must be able to recognize the bad known as antigens (often proteins) on the surface of the UN wanted invaders. Everyone’s immune system should be able to recognize the bad, and be able to fight it off. In an autoimmunity this is where the immune system is not able to recognize the invaders and fight them off.

Rheumatiod arthritis affects three times more women than men. It strikes people of all ages, though generally those of middle- age or older. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inconsistent disease. In some people, it leaves after a few months or years without leaving any noticeable damage. In other people, the symptoms persist and cause the person to be unable to function.

Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) is the most common type of autoimmune arthritis. RA is a progressive and debilitating musculoskeletal disorder that affects the joints symmetrically, causing a range of systemic effects. What it causes is still not well known; nevertheless, findings of new research points towards a believe that it is triggered by a defective immune system, which causes the release of inflammatory chemicals. These chemicals cause damage to cartilage and bone, usually affecting the wrists, the joints of the hand, including the knuckles, the middle joints of the fingers and feet. While this condition can affect any joints, besides, important body organs such as the eyes and the lungs can also be affected by the inflammation that occurs as a result of this chronic condition. Only in America 1.3 million of people are affected by this ailment, and 75 % of them are mainly women. Its onset usually occurs between fourth and sixth decades; however, RA can occur at any age("Diseases And

One in every 20 Americans suffer from at least one autoimmune disease. So there is a good chance that you or someone you know is suffering from one of these diseases right now.

Rheumatoid Arthritis has been subject of numerous studies and researches in the look for a better understanding of how it effects the individuals diagnosed with it. There is a higher incident of females diagnosed with RA than male as well as a relationship with genetic and environmental factors involved. Around one percent of the world population is affected by RA; therefore, diverse studies have been performed to understand how the lives of the diagnosed patients can be impacted by the disease. For example, how RA affects the mobility, safety and activities of daily living in general as well as the development of interventions to better approach RA. On

Systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune disease. This condition causes the body to mistaken its own tissues and organs as foreign bodies and begins attacking them causing continuing inflammation and pain. (Huether & McCance, 2012) The cause of SLE still remains unknown, but it is possible that is inherited as a complex trait or caused by environmental stimuli. (S) Anyone is at risk for Lupus, but is more common among women than men and is more prevalent of African Americans and Asians. (National Library of Medicine 2010, para 2) This condition can be difficult to diagnose, as a patient must present a number of the recognizable symptoms. Depending on the location that Lupus presents itself in the body, the symptoms

What is lupus? “Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (Lupus).” An autoimmune disease can be extremely detrimental to the body. This disease occurs when the body creates an antibody that goes against substances naturally present in the body. When your body is against itself, you have nothing to help heal your body and nourish it back to health, making treatment and recovery harder. As an eight-year-old child, I didn’t notice that my mother had lupus until it was too late. After her death in 2007 I began to notice all of the signs that I missed at first and started reflecting on my whole life and memories. All those signs those were clear as day and I missed all of them. Lupus can be caused by a numerous

Lupus also known as the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease which signifies that the body’s immune system attacks the healthy tissues and organs by mistake. Lupus can affect any parts of the body including skins, joints, kidneys, blood vessels and as well as cause large inflammations in the organs that are affected by the disease. When an individual is diagnosed with Lupus, their immune system becomes hyperactive and begin to attack normal healthy tissues. The immune system makes antibodies which help fights against bacteria and viruses. Lupus cause the immune system to not able to distinguish between antigens and healthy tissues. As a result of not being able to distinguish between antigens and healthy tissues, the immune system starts to direct antibodies against healthy tissues. Lupus can be mild

Also, since it affects these people in such a general way, diagnosing it is nearly impossible. “Autoimmune diseases cannot be diagnosed by looking at a person's symptoms. It cannot be tested for, either. However, medical specialists can test for the antibodies that come with diseases like SLE. With that, they can assume that it is lupus” (“Questions and Answers about Autoimmunity”). Even though those antibodies are not a sure way of telling who has SLE, that is the closest thing they can get. Until people find a real way to diagnose and cure the disease, they will have to deal with their SLE. As anyone can see, this disease can cause pain in a patient, and it is hard to live with the physical and emotional effects of this

To understand autoimmune diseases, the general characteristic of autoimmunity must be addressed. Autoimmunity is defined, in short, as “ misdirected immune response”. A healthy person is equipped with the mechanisms necessary to defend the body from pathogens within the immune system. When autoimmunity is present in an individual, something within the immune system is

Rheumatoid Arthritis or (RA) is an autoimmune disease that attacks the joints and connective tissue. The result is inflammation that produces permanent damage in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that tends to be progressive and destructive as compared to Osteoarthritis or (OA), which is more of an age related disease caused by “wear and tear” of the joints. In contrast to (OA), rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by inflammation mostly of the joints, but is a general body disease.

With autoimmune diseases, the underlying issue is similar. The body's immune system becomes unable to recognize healthy cells from diseased cells. Consequently, the immune’s own defense mechanism produces antibodies that attack the normal tissues and cells. Autoimmune diseases

An autoimmune disorder is when an individual’s own adaptive immune system begins producing antibodies against its own cells/tissues. This in turn causes a