Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Your immune system produces antibodies that attach to the linings of your joints. Your immune system cells then attack the joints, causing inflammation, swelling, and pain. If left untreated, RA gradually causes permanent joint damage.Treatments include various medications that reduce immune system overactivity. You might take them by mouth or as a shot. See charts that list rheumatoid arthritis drugs and their side effects.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). When you have lupus, you develop autoimmune antibodies that can attach to tissues throughout your body. This disease most often attacks your joints, lungs, blood cells, nerves, and kidneys. Treatment often includes daily oral prednisone, a steroid that reduces immune system function. Read an overview of lupus symptoms and treatments.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Your immune system attacks the lining of your intestines, causing bouts of diarrhea, rectal bleeding, urgent bowel movements, abdominal pain, fever, and weight loss. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the two main forms of IBD. Immune-suppressing medicines, taken by mouth or as a shot, can treat IBD. Learn about the differences between ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Multiple sclerosis (MS). Your immune system attacks nerve cells, causing symptoms that may include pain, blindness, weakness, poor coordination, and muscle spasms. Your doctor can use medicines thatsuppress your immune system to treat it. Read more on multiple sclerosis drugs and their side effects.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Your immune system attacks the lining of your intestines, causing bouts of diarrhea, rectal bleeding, urgent bowel movements,abdominal pain, fever, and weight loss. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the two main forms of IBD. Immune-suppressing medicines, taken by mouth or as a shot, can treat IBD. Learn about the differences between ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Type 1 diabetes. Your antibodies attack and destroy insulin-producing cells in your pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes need insulin shots to survive. Learn about the symptoms to look for in type 1 diabetes.
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). Your immune system attacks the nerves controlling the muscles in your legs and sometimes those in your arms and upper body. This leads to weakness, which can sometimes be serious. Filtering the blood with a procedure called plasmapheresis is the maintreatment.
Chronic inflammatory demyelinatingpolyneuropathy (CIDP). Similar to Guillain-Barre, this disease also involves the immune system attacking the nerves. But the symptoms last much longer. If it’s not treated early, about 30% of people with this condition will eventually need to use a wheelchair. Treatment for CIDP and GBS are essentially the same. Find out what the treatment options are for CIDP.
Psoriasis. When you have psoriasis, immune system blood cells called T-cells collect in your skin. Your immune system stimulates skin cells to reproduce quickly, producing silvery, scaly plaques on your skin. See a photo of what psoriasis looks like.
Graves’ disease. In this disease, your immune system produces antibodies that cause your thyroid gland to release too much thyroid hormone into your blood (hyperthyroidism). Symptoms can include bulging eyes, weight loss, nervousness, irritability, rapid heart rate, weakness, and brittle hair. Your doctor usually needs to destroy or remove your thyroid gland using medicines or surgery. Learn more about treatments for Graves’ disease.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Antibodies from your immune system attack your thyroid gland, slowly destroying the cells that produce thyroid hormone. You develop low levels of thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism), usually over months to years. Symptoms include fatigue, constipation, weight gain, depression, dry skin, and sensitivity to cold. Taking a synthetic thyroid hormone pill every day restores normal body functions. Find out more on treatments for an underactive thyroid.
Myasthenia gravis. Antibodies bind to your nerves and make them unable to stimulate your muscles properly. The main symptom is weakness that gets worse with activity. A drug called pyridostigmine (Mestinon) is most often used to treat myasthenia gravis. Read an overview of the symptoms of myasthenia gravis.
Scleroderma. Also known as systemic sclerosis, this chronic connective disease causes inflammation in your skin and other places in your body. Asa result, your body makes too much collagen. This leads to visible hardening of the skin and damage to your blood vessels and organs, such as your heart, lungs, and kidneys. There’s no cure. Treatment aims to relieve symptoms and stop the disease from getting worse.
Vasculitis. In this group of autoimmune diseases, your immune system attacks and damages blood vessels. Vasculitis can affect any organ, so symptoms vary widely and can happen almost anywhere in your body. Treatment involves reducing immune system activity, usually with prednisone or another corticosteroid. Learn more about vasculitis symptoms and treatments.
