Contributed by Healthians Team
An autoimmune disorder is a condition when your immune system starts attacking your own body. The immune system is responsible for protecting the body from viruses and bacterias. Whenever the human body gets attacked by viruses and bacteria or foreign cells, the immune system deploys an army of fighter cells called antibodies to attack them. Although The immune system has the ability to tell the basic difference between foreign cells and your own cells, is an autoimmune disease, the immune system is not able to differentiate between healthy cells and infections in your body, it might mistake even your joints or skin, as foreign cells.
It releases proteins called autoantibodies that attack healthy cells. Some autoimmune disorders attack only one organ such as type 1 diabetes damages the pancreas and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects the whole body. The reason for the autoimmune disorder is still unknown and doctors don’t know exactly what causes the autoimmune disorder. In this article, we will discuss 5 autoimmune disorders women experience in their life.
5 Autoimmune disorders women experience
Here we have discussed 5 autoimmune disorders commonly found in women:
Rheumatoid arthritis
In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system invades the joints. Being a woman, having a family history, viral infections, trauma, smoking cigarettes, and obesity are some major causes of rheumatoid arthritis. It is a chronic inflammatory disorder, which not only affects your joints but also other body systems such as the heart, lungs, blood vessels, skin, and eyes. Women experience painful swelling that affects the lining of joints. The swelling leads to bone erosion and joint deformity.
Symptoms
- Pain or ache in one or more joints
- Stiffness in more than one joint
- Tenderness and swelling in one or more than one joint
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Weakness
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a kind of skin disorder that causes skin cells to multiply up to 10 times faster than normal. While there are multiple reasons that cause psoriasis-like scrapes, emotional stress, strep infections, medications, blood pressure medications, and antimalarial medication but sometimes it can be caused by an auto-immune disorder when your body thinks its own tissues are foreign invaders that must be attacked. It also means that to treat it, unlike a simple rash, over-the-counter skin treatment may not work. Such rashes on the skin can grow anywhere on the scalp, knees, elbows, and lower back. Psoriasis cannot be passed to another person.
Symptoms
- Rashes
- Itchy and painful skin
- Bleeding
- Discoloration of toenails and fingernails
- Scaly plaques on the scalp
Psoriatic arthritis
One-third of women with psoriasis also experience psoriatic arthritis (PsA). It is common between the age of 30 and 50 yrs but it can also be found at an early age. Psoriatic arthritis causes inflammation in joints and other parts of the body. Doctors are not sure what causes psoriatic arthritis but few things might play a role such as having a parent with psoriasis. Infections in the immune system also cause psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disorder when the immune system starts attacking healthy tissues unintentionally.
Symptoms
- Swollen fingers and toes
- Foot pain
- Lower back pain
- Fatigue
- Swelling and pain around tendons
- Stiffness and tiredness in the morning
- Less range of motion
- Nail changes
- Eye redness and pain
- Scaly skin especially on your knees, elbows, and scalp
Lupus
Lupus is an autoimmune disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. It causes inflammation in different body systems including blood cells, the brain, lungs, heart, and skin. Exposure to sunlight, infections, and medications are few causes of autoimmune disorder. Lupus is very difficult to diagnose. As there is no cure for lupus, timely treatment can control the symptoms.
Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling
- Red rashes
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Dry eyes
- Headaches
- White or blue finger and toes
- Confusion
- Memory loss
Thyroid disease
The thyroid gland regulates the growth and metabolism of the body. The thyroid gland affects women’s bodies drastically if it is underactive or overactive. Basically, the hormones of women’s bodies become imbalanced causing irregular menstruations, ovulation persistence, cyst development in ovaries, miscarriages, postpartum thyroiditis, thyroid problems after pregnancy, and early onset of menopause.
Symptoms
- Impaired memory
- Depression
- Slowed heart rate
- Pain, stiffness, or swelling in your joints
- Weight gain
- Puffy face
- Dry skin
- Constipation
- Muscle weakness
- Fatigue
- High blood cholesterol level
The bottom Line
Women face health issues that could lead to major illnesses if left untreated. Early diagnosis and timely treatment can help them lead happier and more meaningful lives. We hope you find this article informative for yourself.
