Grand Canyon, 1998
Autoimmune disease as a category affects 50 million Americans. It is one of the top ten causes of death in women under the age of 65; is the second highest cause of chronic illness; and is the top cause of morbidity in women in the United States. Additionally, autoimmune diseases have been reported to be on the rise in the U.S. and around the world, making this poorly understood category of disease a public health crisis at levels comparable to heart disease and cancer.
There are 100+ known autoimmune diseases, all caused by the common thread that is autoimmunity. The process of autoimmunity is initiated when one’s immune system becomes overactive and, rather than destroy invader cells, such as infections and viruses, targets one’s own healthy cells and tissues causing various autoimmune diseases such as MS, RA, Lupus and Diabetes.
Autoimmune diseases can affect any system in the body. Symptoms vary widely among the diseases, making the diseases difficult to diagnosis. Exactly what triggers an autoimmune response is unknown; however, researchers do know that autoimmune diseases occur where there are a genetic predisposition in the family towards autoimmunity and the presence of environmental triggers such as, viruses, bacteria, medications, pollutants, hormones, or stress.
Contact Nance for more information regarding how to live with RA and other autoimmune diseases.
