Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes, lupus and celiac disease are on the rise and researchers are looking into environmental surroundings as a possible cause.
According to a number of studies conducted by the Mayo Clinic, American Diabetes Association and the National Institutes of Health, autoimmune diseases are being diagnosed at rapid rates.
“It has been reported that autoimmune disease is on the rise. There has been an unexplainable increase in incidents of celiac disease, lupus and Type 1 diabetes,” said Virginia T. Ladd, president and executive director of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association.
“Furthermore, women are more likely than men to be affected. Some estimates say that 75 percent of those affected, some 30 million people, are women. Still, with these statistics, autoimmunity is rarely discussed as a women’s health issue,” Ladd said.
Ladd said with the rapid increase in autoimmune diseases, it clearly suggests that environmental factors are at play due to the significant increase in these diseases. Genes do not change in such a short period of time, she said, adding the current state of autoimmune disease is an epidemic that should be of great concern to both the government and health officials.
Dr. Kirstin Bacani, a rheumatologist at McKay-Dee Hospital, said an increase in the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis among women has been recently shown. In 2005, 1.5 million adults in the U.S. were affected by the debilitating form of arthritis. That’s an increase over the last available report of 1.3 million adults.
“It is not known if there are environmental favors that contribute to the increase,” she said. “However, obesity was examined as a potential risk factor. It was found that obesity was a significant risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis, even when adjusted for cigarette smoking, which is another risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis.”
The American Diabetes Association reported a 23 percent rise in type 1 diabetes over an eight-year period that ended in 2009.
Center for Disease Control researchers are unclear as to why autoimmune diseases are surging, according to the report. Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, occurs when the body loses the ability to produce insulin due to an autoimmune attack on the cells that produce insulin.
Insulin is the hormone that controls the level of sugar in the blood. Type 1 diabetics are insulin-dependent while type 2 diabetics in many cases can manage the disease with changes to diet and exercise.
The study found that children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes have measurable signs of complications including nerve damage that could lead to amputations.
It also identified early signs of cardiovascular damage, raising risks for future heart disease.
Research has also shown that the cause of autoimmune disease stems from genetics and environmental factors.
Celiac disease, also shown to be on the rise, is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack the small intestine, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center.
A recent report suggests that the disease is now believed to affect one in every 133 U.S. residents. Those affected have an autoimmune response to gluten, a protein found in such grains as wheat, rye and barley.
“The best way to combat the rise in autoimmune diseases is to do research to understand the genetic and environmental risk factors for them, so that those who are at highest risk for developing disease after certain environmental exposures might be able to minimize those exposures and prevent the development of autoimmune disease,” said Dr. Frederick Miller of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The AARDA is hosting “What Every American Needs to Know About Autoimmune Disease” on Aug. 4 the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. The day-long conference is open to the public.
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