According to Cojocaru and colleagues, multiple autoimmune disorder may be the result of familial or genetic factors, along with immunological or psychological factors. However, environmental triggers may set in motion the occurrence of a second disorder, and could be the key culprit in the rising prevalence of MAS.
About 25 percent of patients with autoimmune diseases have a tendency to develop additional autoimmune diseases.
For people who have more than one diagnosed autoimmune disease, it's called polyautoimmunity. The combination of three or more diagnosed autoimmune disorders in one person is called Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome (MAS).
The exact cause of autoimmune disorders is unknown. One theory is that some microorganisms (such as bacteria or viruses) or drugs may trigger changes that confuse the immune system. This may happen more often in people who have genes that make them more prone to autoimmune disorders.
Scientists know about more than 80 autoimmune diseases. Some are well known, such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, while others are rare and difficult to diagnose. With unusual autoimmune diseases, patients may suffer years before getting a proper diagnosis.
“Disorders of autoimmune pathogenesis occur with increased frequency in patients with a history of another autoimmune disease,” they wrote, suggesting the rate of a second disorder may be approximately 25%. “At least one of them is usually a skin disease, such as psoriasis or scleroderma.”
Autoimmune diseases are typically caused by mutations in multiple genes, but they can be triggered by environmental factors and stress. Inflammation is closely associated with autoimmune disorders. Most often, it's a symptom of the disorders, but sometimes it's a trigger.
Autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis often run in clusters.
Autoimmune diseases, like lupus, hypothyroidism, and Type 1 diabetes, have been linked to mental health disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder. If you have an autoimmune disorder and think you may also have symptoms of a mental health condition, you are not alone.
People with autoimmune disorders have been described as the population at the most risk of catching diseases. This is due to the way the different autoimmune disorders affect their immune system, and more importantly, to the immunosuppressant drugs used to treat most of these diseases.
African American, Native American and Hispanic women are more susceptible to specific autoimmune diseases than the general population. The most common Autoimmune Disorders include: Crohn's Disease. Diabetes Type 1.
Women develop many types of autoimmune diseases much more often than men. And if you have one autoimmune disease, you are more likely to get another.
If you are suffering from the effects of an Immune System Disorder you may qualify for disability benefits. The Social Security Administration recognizes autoimmune disorders in their Bluebook under Section 14 so if it has impacted your ability to work you may qualify for disability benefits.
Stress: Stress is a very common trigger for many AI flares. While we are still studying how this works, we believe that stress may trigger neuroendocrine hormones, which can lead to immune dysregulation (1). Medications: Certain medications are also thought to trigger AI flares.
Psychological stress is reported to be a risk factor for autoimmune diseases, including Graves' disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Different types of stress and the length of time that stress is present might also affect the presentation of inflammatory autoimmune disease. There is no one known cause for autoimmunity.
Foods such as red meat, dairy, pastry, and beverages containing caffeine and alcohol trigger systemic inflammation, aggravating the autoimmune disease. If you are struggling with this condition, check out the most common foods that worsen autoimmune diseases so you can avoid them altogether.
A primary characteristic of complex genetic diseases is that affected individuals tend to cluster in families (that is, familial aggregation). Aggregation of the same autoimmune condition, also referred to as familial autoimmune disease, has been extensively evaluated.
Typical systemic autoimmune diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and dermatomyositis. These diseases are managed by rheumatologists and, in fact, the terms "systemic autoimmune disease" and "rheumatic autoimmune diseases" are often used interchangeably.
The combination of three or more autoimmune diseases is called multiple autoimmune syndrome (MAS) and was described for the first time in 1988 (3). In MAS, one of the conditions typically affects the skin, with vitiligo and psoriasis as common examples (4).
Common ones include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Autoimmune diseases can affect many types of tissues and nearly any organ in your body. They may cause a variety of symptoms including pain, tiredness (fatigue), rashes, nausea, headaches, dizziness and more.
The overall prevalence of autoimmunity is approximately 3–5% in the general population 9, 10.