Auto-immune disease (auto-immunity)
Connective tissue disease
What is auto-immune disease?
Autoimmune diseases are chronic degenerative and/or inflammatory conditions that result from abnormal immune reactions to compounds absorbed from the environment. Autoimmune diseases are typically considered as connective tissue diseases.
The normally defensive action of the immune system becomes destructive, whereby healthy body tissues are damaged by the immune defense mechanisms.
Symptoms of autoimmune diseases are specific to the particular type of autoimmune disease; however, typically tissue damage and inflammation are always present.
Included or related conditions include:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)
- Scleroderma
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN)
- Thromboangitis obliterans (Buerger's disease)
- Behcet's syndrome
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis
- Grave's disease
- Insulin resistance
- Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)
- Polymyositis
- Dermatomyositis
- Sjogren's syndrome
- Vitiligo
- Pemphigus
- Vasculitis, etc.
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Some other possibly autoimmune-related conditions include primary biliary cirrhosis, chronic active hepatitis, urticaria, asthma, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, interstitial cystitis, some cases of infertility, glomerulonephritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc.
Technical Description
Biomedica Labs believes that autoimmune diseases result from abnormal immune-mediated reactions that occur when the immune system is overwhelmed by systemic exposure to exogenous foreign substances (antigens). Antigen-antibody coupling results in immunocomplex formation followed by deposition at "predisposed weakened" tissue sites.
Some of these foreign substances may display similar antigenic sequences to the patients own tissue HLA (auto-recognition marker displayed on cell membrane so that immune sytem recognizes its own body tissue as "friendly") resulting in the activation of mediators of inflammation and spasm including alternate complement, histamine, leukotrienes, prostaglandins, kinins, reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, hyaluronidase, elastase, collagenase and platelet-activating factor.
Note
The body's first defense against potential allergens is physical exclusion (non specific defense) via the epidermal mantle and mucus membrane secretions of epithelial tissues. Production and maintenance of these tissue structures differs in relation to genetic and lifestyle factors and previous injury.
Potential antigens (environmental compounds that can provoke abnormal inflammatory immune reactions in susceptible individuals) include pollens, chemicals, foods, medications, microbial constituents and environmental pollutants.
It is important to note that HLA antigen expression DR3/B8 is only present in a small percentage of autoimmune patients.
Oral contraceptives can exacerbate connective tissue diseases.
What should be the goal of auto-immune treatment?
Biomedica Labs believes that the ultimate goal of auto-immune treatment should be to inhibit the absorption of compounds that may provoke an autoimmune disease reaction and stabilize cells to inhibit inflammation and damage that may initiate from autoimmune disease reactions.
Effective auto-immune treatment must effectively inhibit the absorption of antigens that provoke humorally-mediated immune abnormality, while at the same time increasing the stability of cells to decrease tissue degradation in cell-mediated (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis) and humorally-mediated (e.g. lupus) immune abnormalities.
Decreased destruction of tissue and decreased inflammatory response should result in decreased catabolism (breakdown) and increased anabolism (repair) - net effect equals more youthful tissue function.
What is scleroderma (dermatosclerosis)?
Scleroderma is a disorder in which the dermis layer of the affected skin is replaced by collagen, resulting in an extreme hardening of the skin. In some patients this process involves the gastrointestinal tract, heart, lungs, and kidneys leading to impairment of functions of the respective organs. The cause of scleroderma is not known.
Early Scleroderma symptoms include Raynaud's phenomenon, polyarthritis and induration and contraction of the skin of the fingers. Less severe cases of Scleroderma may have Scleroderma symptoms limited to the skin and subcutaneous tissue (morphea). Submucosal fibrosis may develop within the gastrointestinal tract of Scleroderma patients.
What is polyarteritis nodosa (PAN)?
Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), also known as periarteritis nodosa, is one of the most florid of the inflammatory disorders of arteries, collectively known as arteritis. The main features are:
- medium-sized muscular arteries affected
- myalgia, polymyositis and arthralgia; fever and malaise
- abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea
- mucosal ulcers, occasionally intestinal or splenic infarcts
- tender subcutaneous nodules (arteritic lesions), skin rashes and digital gangrene
- hypertension and pericarditis
- peripheral neuropathy - motor, sensory or mixed; usually single nerves involved (mononeuritis multiplex)
- hematuria and proteinuria; glomerulonephritis and hypertensive renal disease
- asthmatic symptoms, often with eosinophilia; hemoptysis; pulmonary infarcts due to pulmonary arteritis
Note
Early presenting Polyarteritis nodosa, PAN, symptoms may be arthralgia and abdominal pain. In comparison to Lupus, Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) rarely exhibits nervous system involvement.
What is polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a chronic inflammatory condition presenting persistent muscle pain in the shoulders and hips, lethargy and tiredness.
Note
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) may be confused with Rheumatoid arthritis, cranial arteritis, Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) or polymyositis.
What is mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)?
Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a rheumatic disease characterized by overlapping clinical features of Lupus, Scleroderma, polymyositis or dermatomyositis and Rheumatoid arthritis. Very high titers of circulating antinuclear antibody to a nuclear ribonucleoprotein (RNP) antigen are also characteristic.
Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) symptoms include Raynaud's phenomenon, polyarthralgia or arthritis, swollen hands, inflammatory proximal myopathy, esophageal hypomotility and pulmonary disease. Fever, fatigue, weight loss, lupus-like rashes, erythematous patches over the knuckles, discoloration of the eyelids, diffuse non-scarring alopecia and telangiectasia (dilated small blood vessels) of the hands and face may also be present in Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD).
What is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease, also known as (regional enteritis, granulomatous ileitis or ileocolitis), is a nonspecific chronic transmural inflammatory disease that most commonly affects the distal ileum and colon but may occur in any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Transmural spread of inflammation leads to ulcerations, lymphedema and bowel wall thickening, which may eventually result in localized fibrosis.
Common symptoms of Crohn's disease include chronic diarrhea with abdominal pain, constipation, fever, anorexia, weight loss and a right lower quadrant (ileocecal valve region) mass or fullness, intestinal obstruction and fistulation. Later stages of Crohn's disease may be associated with liver damage, malnutrition, arthritis, anemia, tissue wasting and the development of connective tissue diseases.
Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, inflammatory and ulcerative condition arising in the colonic mucosa characterized most often by bloody diarrhea.
Common symptoms of ulcerative colitis include an attack that begins with an urgency to defecate, lower abdominal cramping (mild to severe) and followed by blood and mucoid content within the stool. Acute complications associated with ulcerative colitis may include toxic dilatation, perforation, hemorrhage and dehydration. Chronic complications may include anemia, liver disease, malignant changes and the development of connective tissue diseases.
Note:
Inflammatory bowel diseases are not to be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, spastic or mucus colitis), which is a motility disorder involving the entire gastrointestinal tract, causing recurring upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal pain, constipation and/or diarrhea and abdominal distention, whereby pain is generally relieved by colonic evacuation.
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome may also experience fibromyalgia, headaches, dyspareunia and temporal mandibular joint syndrome (TMJ).
What is sjögren's syndrome?
Sjögren's syndrome, also called Sjogren's disease, is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by dryness of the mouth, eyes, as well as other mucous membranes. Sjögren's syndrome is often associated with rheumatic disorders sharing certain autoimmune features (e.g. RA, Scleroderma, SLE) and in which lymphocytes infiltrate mucosal and other tissues.
What is behcet's syndrome?
Behcet's Disease (Behcet's Syndrome) is a multisystem inflammatory, relapsing, chronic disorder that may include mucocutaneous, ocular, genital, articular, vascular, CNS and gastrointestinal involvement.
Symptoms of Behcet's disease (Behcet's syndrome) can include painful oral ulcerations often resemble apthous stomatitis. Ulcerations can occur anywhere mucosal surfaces are present. The presence of genital ulcerations may allow for more rapid diagnosis. Erythema nodosum-like eruptions, subcutaneous thrombophlebitis and hyperirritability of the skin are often present. Ocular symptoms may include pain, photosensitivity and blurry vision. Inflammatory reactions to minor trauma are often present.
Note
HLA-Bw51, HLA-B5 and B27 may be an associated genetic susceptibility to Behcet's Disease (Behcet's Syndrome).
SUBSTANCES THAT IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE
- Nutricol®
Nutricol®, available as Recovery® in many pharmacies and health retailers, is a food-based non-drug supplement produced to improve quality of life*.
Nutricol® (Recovery®) may be safely combined with auto-immune drugs. Recovery® is designed to improve circulation and healing and to minimize damage, inflammation and spasm. It does not produce unpleasant side effects. Since Recovery® works to modify and improve your body's own responses, it may take up to three to five weeks for you to experience relief.
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