AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

Researchers have identified more than 80 different autoimmune diseases to date. Some of these are fairly well known, others more obscure, but all are serious to those who suffer.

Some of the more common ones are:

Ankylosing Spondylitis:

Inflammatory arthritis of the spine and pelvis.

Antiphospholipid Syndrome:

Can cause blood clots and recurrent pregnancy loss.

Autoimmune Hepatitis:

Disease of the liver.

Behcet’s Disease:

Inflammation of blood vessels.

Celiac:

Disorder that targets the small intestine.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:

Progressive thyroid disease.

Meniere Disease:

Inflammatory condition deep within the inner ear.

Multiple Sclerosis:

Inflammation of the central nervous system.

Myasthenia Gravis:

Affects of the skeletal muscles.

Primary Biliary Cirrhosis:

Inflammatory destruction of the bile ducts of the liver.

Psoriasis:

Common, chronic skin disease.

Sarcoidosis:

Multisystem autioimmune disease; sometimes misdiagnosed as tuberculosis.

Scleroderma:

Affects the skin and connective tissues in the body.

Sjogren’s Syndrome:

Targets tear, salivary and other moisture-producing glands in the body.

Ulcerative Colitis:

Inflammation of the colon (large intestine); characterized by chronic ulceration.

Vasculitis:

Inflammation of the blood vessel system, including veins, arteries and capillaries.

To view a complete list of autoimmune diseases and late-breaking research, visit:

American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, www.aarda.org.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/autoimmune

Department of Health and Human Services, www.hhs.gov

Johns Hopkins Autoimmune Disease Research Center, www.autoimmune.pathology.jumi.edu/