Autoimmune Disease
What type of autoimmune disease do you have?#
There are numerous autoimmune diseases that are both organ specific and non-organ specific. The disease process is based on the immune system’s recognition of normal antigens as foreign antigens.
The more common diseases are thyroid disorders, such as Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; neuromuscular disorders, such as myasthenia gravis (MG); non-organ specific disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
However, other disorders, such as diabetes mellitus, may sometimes be classified as an autoimmune disease.
How is your disorder being treated?#
Most autoimmune disorders are treated with systemic glucocorticosteroids.
Long-term use of a glucocorticosteroid may induce adrenal suppression, putting the patient at risk for adrenal insufficiency, which may result in an inadequate response to stress.
Chronic glucocorticosteroid therapy may also induce osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, peptic ulcer disease, liver disease, hypertension, and seizures.
Related Pages#
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