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According to the Cleveland Clinic, an autoimmune disease is the result of the immune system accidentally attacking your body instead of protecting it.  Autoimmune diseases affect around 10% of the global population, with 13% being women and 7% being men. 

 

Types of autoimmune diseases:

There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases that affect a wide range of body parts. Since autoimmune diseases are more common in women than in men, this essay will be discussing the 5 most common autoimmune diseases that affect women. 

    1) Rheumatoid arthritis: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, RA is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body. 

    2) Psoriatic arthritis: The John Hopkins University of Medicine defines psoriatic arthritis as a form of arthritis with a skin rash. Psoriasis is a chronic skin and nail disease. It causes red, scaly rashes and thick, pitted fingernails. The rash may come before or after the arthritis symptoms. Psoriatic arthritis causes inflamed, swollen and painful joints. 

   3) Lupus: The Cleveland Clinic states that Lupus is an autoimmune disease that makes your immune system damage organs and tissue throughout your body. It causes inflammation that can affect your skin, joints, blood and organs like your kidneys, lungs and heart. 

   4) Thyroid disease: The Cleveland Clinic further states that it is a general term for a medical condition that keeps thyroid from making the right amount of hormones. 

According to MedicinePlus there are different kinds of thyroid diseases including: 

Graves’ disease, where the body makes too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism), 

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, where it doesn’t make enough (hypothyroidism) of the hormone. 

Goitre: an enlargement of the thyroid gland

   5) Type 1 diabetes: According to the National Institute of Health, Type 1 diabetes (TD1) is an autoimmune disease that leads to the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Individuals with TD1 require life-long insulin replacement with multiple daily insulin injections daily, insulin pump therapy, or the use of an automated insulin delivery system. 

 

What are the common symptoms of Autoimmune Disease: 

Fatigue

Join pain and swelling 

Skin problems

Abdominal pain or digestive issues 

Recurring fever

Swollen glands

 

What are the 2 of the most fatal autoimmune diseases?

Giant cell myocarditis: this is a rare cardiovascular disorder that progresses rapidly and is often fatal.

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis: In this autoimmune disease, the immune system creates antibodies against the NMDA receptors in the brain, which play a crucial role in memory.

In conclusion, autoimmune diseases are when the body’s cells accidentally begin to attack themselves and the most common autoimmune diseases in women are Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Lupus, Thyroid disease and Type 1 Diabetes; however, the most deadly would be the Giant Cell Myocarditis and Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis 

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Works Cited

Reference listLucier, J. and Weinstock, R.S. (2022). Diabetes Mellitus Type 1. [online] PubMed. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507713/#:~:text=Type%201%20diabetes%20mellitus%20.News, N. (2023). 1 in 10 People Suffer From Autoimmune Diseases. [online] Neuroscience News. Available at: https://neurosciencenews.com/population-autoimmune-disease-23198/#:~:text=Autoimmune%20diseases%20affect%20around%2010.www.cdc.gov. (2022). Rheumatoid Arthritis | CDC. [online] Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/types/rheumatoid-arthritis.html#:~:text=Rheumatoid%20arthritis%2C%20or%20RA%2C%20is.www.hopkinsmedicine.org. (n.d.). What Are Common Symptoms of Autoimmune Disease? [online] Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/what-are-common-symptoms-of-autoimmune-disease#:~:text=There%20are%20more%20than%2080.

 

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