Immune disorder symptoms can be hard to identify and track. What are immune system diseases, and are they becoming more common?
In the last 50 years, it seems there are a number of new immune disorders being given names, and being studied and analysed to figure out the mechanism of the cause and progression of disease. These conditions have possibly been around longer, but of late we've discovered new presentations of possibly older undiagnosed disorders.
Components of the immune system
The Lymphatic system consists of bone marrow, spleen, thymus and lymph nodes. Bone marrow produces white blood cells, or leukocytes. The spleen is the largest lymphatic organ in the body contains white blood cells that fight infection or disease.
The immune system is made up of antibodies, white blood cells, and other chemicals and proteins that attack and destroy bacteria and viruses that they recognize as foreign bodies and different from the body's own healthy tissues.
The immune system also includes:
- The tonsils, once thought to be an extraneous 'gland', they are actually the immune system’s first line of defense, which help the antibody making process
- The thymus, your immune system's largest gland, makes antibodies.
- Lymph nodes and lymph vessels - (the lymphatic system). This network of lymph nodes and vessels throughout the body carries lymph fluid, nutrients, and waste material between the body tissues and the bloodstream. The lymphatic system is an important part of the immune system. The lymph nodes filter lymph fluid as it flows through them, trapping bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances, which are then destroyed by special white blood cells called lymphocytes.
- Bone marrow. This is soft tissue found mainly inside the long bones of the arms and legs, the vertebrae, and the pelvic bones of the body. It is made up of red marrow, which produces red and white blood cells and platelets, and yellow marrow, which contains fat and connective tissue and produces some white blood cells.
- The spleen, the largest lymphatic organ in the body, which filters and cleans the blood by removing old or damaged blood cells and platelets
- The spleen helps the immune system by destroying bacteria and other foreign substances.
- White blood cells or leukocytes. These blood cells are made in the bone marrow and protect the body against infection. When infections invade white blood cells attack and destroy the bacteria, virus, or other pathogen causing it.
- Macrophages - Macrophages are 'large' phagocytes which are either stationary or mobile white blood cells sent to the location of infection in the body.
- T Cells - T-lymphosytes or killer T-cells are like foot soldiers in the bodies army, sent to hunt down and destroy pathogenic cells, or any germ that they encounter. Helper T-cells are the sergeants and generals which co-ordinate and organized the attack on the invaders.
The combined effect of the reduced effectiveness of these two important components of the immune system impacts on the effectiveness of the whole system, and the body.
Some common Immune system disorders are:
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Rheumatoid arthritis – where the immune system produces antibodies that attach to the linings of joints. Immune system cells then attack the joints, causing inflammation, swelling, and pain.
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Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). People with lupus develop autoimmune antibodies that can attach to tissues throughout the body. The joints, lungs, blood cells, nerves, and kidneys are commonly affected in lupus.
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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The immune system identifies the lining of the gut as pathogenic resulting in episodes of diarrhea, rectal bleeding, urgent bowel movements, abdominal pain, fever, and weight loss.
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Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the two major forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
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Multiple sclerosis – where the immune system attacks nerve cells, causing pain, blindness, weakness, poor coordination, and muscle spasms.
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Diabetes mellitus (Type 1). Immune system antibodies attack and destroy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
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Guillain-Barre syndrome. The immune system attacks the nerves controlling muscles in the legs and sometimes the arms and upper body. Weakness results, which can sometimes be severe.
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Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Similar to Guillain-Barre, the immune system also attacks the nerves in CIDP, but symptoms last for a more extended time.
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Psoriasis - overactive immune system blood cells called T-cells collect in the skin. The immune system activity stimulates skin cells to reproduce rapidly, producing scaly plaques on the skin.
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Graves' disease. Here, the immune system produces antibodies that stimulate the thyroid gland into releasing excess amounts of thyroid hormone into the blood (hyperthyroidism).
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Hashimoto's thyroiditis - Antibodies produced by the immune system attack the thyroid gland, slowly destroying the cells that produce thyroid hormone. Low levels of thyroid hormone develop (hypothyroidism), usually over months to years. Symptoms include fatigue, constipation, weight gain, depression, dry skin, and sensitivity to cold.
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Myasthenia gravis - Antibodies bind to nerves and make them unable to stimulate muscles properly. Weakness that gets worse with activity is the main symptom of myasthenia gravis.
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Vasculitis. The immune system attacks and damages blood vessels in this group of autoimmune diseases. Vasculitis can affect any organ, so symptoms vary widely and can occur almost anywhere in the body.
The older we get, the less effective the immune system gets. We have discovered a few factors that impact immunity and the Immune System. The following things happen to an aging immune system, and increase our chances of developing cancer, leukemia or an autoimmune condition.