Autoimmune Disorders Health Video

Autoimmune disorders are conditions that occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. There are more than 80 different types of autoimmune disorders. Learn about the various autoimmune disorders including possible causes, and treatment options for autoimmune disorders in this video.

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Follow healthy eating & lifestyle habits
Daily multivitamin to boost immune system
Exercise regularly
Manage stress levels
Take relaxing breaks each day

About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

SUSAN MCGLADERRY, BM, BCH, MRCP: Hello. My name is Dr. Susan McGladerry. I'm the medical director from the FirstMed Centers in Budapest, Hungary and I'd like to give you some information about autoimmune diseases. These are the result of an abnormal or overactive immune response of our body against substances in tissues that are normally present in the body. In other words, the body attacks its own cells. Autoimmune diseases are major cause of all immune-mediated disease and currently there are over 40 human diseases that are classified as either definitely or probably autoimmune diseases. They affect up to 7% of the population. The causes are still not very well known. Certain individuals are genetically more susceptible to develop autoimmune disease, but it doesn't mean that those individuals will definitely develop disease. We divide these autoimmune diseases according to the main clinical and pathological features. Systemic autoimmune diseases include things like systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, and polymyositis. The local syndromes may be an endocrine problem such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Addison's disease. Other local conditions include problems of the skin, the blood, and neurological conditions. How do we diagnose autoimmune problems? It takes a careful history and physical examination of the patient. There may be specific abnormalities on routine lab testing such as a raised CRP level. In some of the systemic disorders, we can use special serological tests to look for specific auto-antibodies. What about the treatment of autoimmune disease? It's treated according to the symptoms associated with the particular condition. Often your doctor will prescribe a corticosteroid drug or possibly a more powerful immunosuppressant drug such as methotrexate or azathioprine. These suppress the immune response and can also stop the progression of the disease, but the risks and the benefits need to be considered carefully. The side effects of the stronger immunosuppressant medications include an increased risk of cancer and a risk of bone marrow toxicity. What else can you do to boost your immune system? It's important to follow healthy eating and lifestyle habits, have a diet high in fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fish, and poultry. You can consider taking a daily multivitamin as well. It's also a very good idea to try and exercise regularly, daily if possible. The other thing that you can do is to try and take care of your stress levels and find some time every day for relaxation.