What is an autoimmune disease?

An autoimmune disease describes a condition that causes your immune system to mistakenly attack otherwise healthy areas of your body. Your immune system is responsible for protecting you from bacteria and viruses, but sometimes it overreacts, producing proteins that destroy healthy cells.

There are more than 100 recognized autoimmune diseases that can affect your short-term and long-term health. The expert physicians are skilled in diagnosing and treating all types of autoimmune diseases, including:

• Lupus
• Psoriasis
• Type 1 diabetes
• Multiple sclerosis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Inflammatory bowel disease

For many of these conditions, there’s no clear understanding of what causes dysfunction in the immune system. You may be at increased risk for developing an autoimmune disease if you have a family history of the condition or due to your ethnic background or your environment. 

What are the symptoms of an autoimmune disease?

While different autoimmune diseases affect different parts of your body, many of them cause similar symptoms. Some of the earliest warning signs of a possible autoimmune disease include:

• Hair loss
• Skin rashes
• Chronic fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Low-grade fever
• Difficulties concentrating

Numbness and tingling in your hands and feet may also relate to an autoimmune disease like Type 1 diabetes.

Symptoms of an autoimmune disease can range from mild to severe. With some conditions, you may experience symptoms for several days or weeks, followed by a period of remission.

You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation with the team at We Care Clinic if you develop any of these symptoms without explanation or if you can’t treat your symptoms with over-the-counter medications.

How are autoimmune diseases treated?

There are no specific tests that can identify an autoimmune disorder, but the We Care Clinic team can review your symptoms and perform a physical exam to confirm your diagnosis.

While there’s no cure for most autoimmune diseases, your provider works closely with you on a treatment plan to keep your symptoms under control. You may need to take over-the-counter or prescription anti-inflammatory drugs and autoimmune-suppressing medication to relieve rashes, fatigue, and inflammation.

Your We Care Clinic provider also suggests a good diet and exercise plan to follow that can further relieve your symptoms and keep your autoimmune disease in remission.

If you need help managing an existing disease or have unexplained symptoms of an autoimmune disorder, schedule a consultation with the team at We Care Clinic online or by phone today.