1. When a Body Attacks Itself
One of the strangest classifications of diseases is the autoimmune disorders. The immune system that normally keeps people healthy suddenly goes haywire and attacks its own tissues, cells and organs. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, about 50 million Americans suffer from one of the more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases. Some of the most common immune system disorders include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. An increased risk of autoimmune disorders may come from genetics, viruses, drugs, sunlight and the environment.
2. Understand Aging and Autoimmune Disease
Researchers determined that aging has a very significant effect on the immune system, causing it to lose function and not respond as well to threats. This, in turn, affects the rest of the body. A senior is likely to exhibit differences in cell structures, particularly the very important T cells. A newborn has 95% more thymus tissue (where T cells mature) than a 60-year-old. Such research has led to the birth of a new medical field, immunogerontology, the study of the immune system in the senior population.
3. Women Have Higher Risk
Although statistics vary among the various autoimmune disorders, overall, women have the greatest risk of developing an autoimmune disease. Twice as many women contract multiple sclerosis than men. The risk rises to three times as many women with rheumatoid arthritis and nine times as many developing lupus. The reasons that women are more at risk are still being studied with hormonal differences a strong possibility.
4. Need Diagnosis, Need Treatment
People with an autoimmune disease may go through long periods of symptoms, followed by a period of feeling well. That is often the nature of autoimmune disorders, making them difficult to diagnose. Older adults may pin their symptoms on getting older, instead of considering an autoimmune disease. While no cure currently exists for these diseases, sometimes medication can control symptoms. Another consideration is that diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis tend to be progressive. Early treatment may improve quality of life. One difficulty in treating autoimmune diseases in a senior population is that they don't respond as well to vaccinations as younger people do. Researchers work hard each year to develop successful flu vaccines each year that are effective in an older population.
5. Vitamin May Decrease Risk
Nutrition plays a role in an immune response, and as a group, older American suffer from malnutrition in greater numbers. Calcium levels drop in the T cells of older adults. Vitamin E supplements may be one of the various vitamins that boost immune systems. Plus, very promising research from Harvard School of Public Health indicates that increased Vitamin D may lower the risk of developing one autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis.
