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The body’s immune system protects you from diseases and infections. But if you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system accidentally attacks healthy cells in the body. Autoimmune diseases can affect many parts of the body.

Autoimmune diseases cause low or high activity of the immune system and decrease the body’s ability to fight infections.

In response to an unknown trigger, the immune system begins to produce antibodies instead of fighting infections and attacking the body’s tissues. The treatment of autoimmune diseases generally focuses on reducing the activity of the immune system.

There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases, and some have similar symptoms. Getting a diagnosis can be frustrating and stressful. Often, the first symptoms are fatigue, muscle aches, and low fever. The classic sign of an autoimmune disease is inflammation, which can cause redness, pain and swelling.

Also, autoimmune diseases have several episodes: either worsening or remission, the symptoms improve or disappear. Treatment depends on the disease, but in most cases, an important goal is to reduce inflammation.

Doctors are not sure why autoimmune diseases occur or why women are affected more than men. One theory is that higher hormone levels in women, especially during the fertile period, could make women more susceptible to autoimmune diseases.

Certain risk factors increase the chances of developing autoimmune conditions, such as:

  • Genetics: Certain diseases, such as lupus and multiple sclerosis, tend to come from the family. Having a relative with autoimmune disease increases the risk of developing one, but it is not mandatory.
  • Weight: Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. This can happen because a high weight puts pressure on the joints, or the adipose tissue produces substances that encourage inflammation.
  • Smoking: Research has linked smoking to several autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism, and multiple sclerosis.
  • Certain drugs: Certain drugs for high blood pressure or antibiotics can trigger lupus. Specific drugs used to lower cholesterol, called statins, can trigger statin-induced myopathy. Myopathy is a rare autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness.

If you want to find out if babies can tolerate gluten, check out our article on this topic: What is the effect of gluten on babies?

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