There are over one hundred known autoimmune diseases and another 40 diseases suspected to be autoimmune related. Collectively they are one of the top 10 leading causes of death in women under age 65 and affect women 75 percent more often than men. Sadly, less than 13 percent of Americans can name an autoimmune disease. Back in 2002, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and today am one of 50 million Americans that are. Since these diseases can run in families, I want my children to be aware of their risk. Do you know yours? When the immune system mistakenly recognizes the proteins of the body as a foreign invader, antibodies are produced in response. These antibodies attack healthy cells and tissues throughout the body affecting almost any part of the body where these antibodies circulate including blood, kidneys, skin, heart, liver, lymph nodes, thyroid, and the central nervous system. Some of the more common diseases that result from this antibody attack include multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, scleroderma, polymyositis, vasculitis, lupus, juvenile diabetes, Crohn's disease, thyroiditis, or Graves' disease. Actress Kellie Martin is the national spokesperson for the American Autoimmune Diseases Association (AARDA) . She is encouraging people to know their family AQ or autoimmune quotient. This quotient is a way to assess how likely someone is to develop an autoimmune disease. Here are the keys to help you determine your family's AQ. Understand autoimmune diseases position in U.S. health. While less than 13 percent of Americans surveyed can identify an autoimmune disease, over 23.5 million people suffer with them. When you consider that 9 million Americans are affected by cancer and 22 million cope with heart disease, the need for increased autoimmune disease awareness is apparent. Get educated. The purpose of National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month is to spread awareness to help people learn more about autoimmune diseases. You can learn more by reading current research reports. Know that autoimmune diseases run in families. Current research suggests a genetic component to autoimmune diseases but not from a gene mutation cause like with sickle cell anemia. Multiple genes seem to be involved in autoimmune disorders that increase the susceptibility. One specific gene is not passed on but rather several genes. Because of this, autoimmune diseases tend to "cluster" in families but may be expressed in different ways. One family member may have celiac disease while another experiences rheumatoid arthritis. Know your family medical history. We live in a mobile society that results in family members living all over the globe. This can make knowing what is going on with extended family more difficult but no less critical especially where autoimmune diseases are concerned. It is important to take an inventory of family health problems beyond your immediate family to include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Just as a family may share a family tree, including known medical conditions as another leaf on the tree is very important. When I found out I had an autoimmune disease, I questions my parents about what they knew about my relatives health. While not a lot was known or written down, we did discover a great uncle on my mother's side that died from an autoimmune disease. Since my diagnosis, my mother's sisters have experienced a variety of symptoms that could be autoimmune. The more you know and can share with your medical provider, the better they will be able to run the correct tests to help determine what is going on if an autoimmune disease should present itself in your or other family members. Keep a symptoms list. It is very easy to overlook how symptoms might be related especially if you forget about something you are no longer experiencing. If you have any medical conditions that are autoimmune in nature, make a master list of all the major symptoms you have experienced. Update it as necessary and take it with you to checkups but especially when something new crops up in your health. Many times a specialist can use their experience with your symptoms list to see a bigger picture you didn't even know existed. Realize that getting an autoimmune disease diagnosis can be challenging. It can take over four years for people to move from symptoms to an accurate diagnosis with many autoimmune diseases. Many times this also requires visits to a variety of medical providers, tests, and medications. One reason for this is different people experience different symptoms, even with the same autoimmune disease. The diagnosis can only be as complete as the information that has been gathered. Because so much of the information for diagnosis is subjective, there can be difficulty on both the patient and the medical provider's part in getting a clear picture of all that is going on. The better your symptom information and family history gathering the better the medical provider's ability to see the bigger picture more quickly. The mystery of autoimmune diseases causes many to scratch their heads. Information can provide power and increased knowledge that can protect those you love. In order to protect my children and their children, I am going to take advantage of National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month to talk with extended family about their health so we can all increase our AQ. Do you have a diagnosed autoimmune disease or symptoms that could be autoimmune in nature? Do you know your family AQ? |
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