An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease. In order to function properly, an immune system must detect a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and distinguish them from the organism’s own healthy tissue.
Ideally, our immune systems operate at peak efficiency in responding to the immune system stressors mentioned in a previous tab. However, if our immune system’s response, for whatever reason, is overactive or underactive then immune system diseases can result.
Autoimmune Diseases
An overactive immune system can cause autoimmune diseases in which the immune system mistakes some part of the body as a pathogen and attacks its own cells. For example in multiple sclerosis the immune system is attacking the myelin sheath. In rheumatoid arthritis the immune system is attacking the synovial membrane between the joints. The immune system can attack any organ or any system. Autoimmune diseases are the fourth leading cause of disability among women. About 75% on average of autoimmune diseases occur in women.
An autoimmune disorder may result in:
- The destruction of one or more types of body tissue
- Abnormal growth of an organ
- Changes in organ function
Organs and tissues commonly affected by autoimmune disorders include:
- Blood vessels
- Connective tissues
- Endocrine glands such as the thyroid or pancreas
- Joints
- Muscles
- Red blood cells
- Skin
A person may have more than one autoimmune disorder at the same time. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association the following 154 diseases are autoimmune related.
- Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
- Acute necrotizing hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis
- Addison’s disease
- Agammaglobulinemia
- Alopecia areata
- Amyloidosis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Anti-GBM/Anti-TBM nephritis
- Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)
- Autoimmune angioedema
- Autoimmune aplastic anemia
- Autoimmune dysautonomia
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Autoimmune hyperlipidemia
- Autoimmune immunodeficiency
- Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED)
- Autoimmune myocarditis
- Autoimmune pancreatitis
- Autoimmune retinopathy
- Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ATP)
- Autoimmune thyroid disease
- Autoimmune urticaria
- Axonal & neuronal neuropathies
- Balo disease
- Behcet’s disease
- Bullous pemphigoid
- Cardiomyopathy
- Castleman disease
- Celiac disease
- Chagas disease
- Chronic fatigue syndrome**
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
- Chronic recurrent multifocal ostomyelitis (CRMO)
- Churg-Strauss syndrome
- Cicatricial pemphigoid/benign mucosal pemphigoid
- Crohn’s disease
- Cogans syndrome
- Cold agglutinin disease
- Congenital heart block
- Coxsackie myocarditis
- CREST disease
- Essential mixed cryoglobulinemia
- Demyelinating neuropathies
- Dermatitis herpetiformis
- Dermatomyositis
- Devic’s disease (neuromyelitis optica)
- Discoid lupus
- Dressler’s syndrome
- Endometriosis
- Eosinophilic fasciitis
- Erythema nodosum
- Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis
- Evans syndrome
- Fibromyalgia**
- Fibrosing alveolitis
- Giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis)
- Glomerulonephritis
- Goodpasture’s syndrome
- Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA) see Wegener’s
- Graves’ disease
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Hashimoto’s encephalitis
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Hemolytic anemia
- Henoch-Schonlein purpura
- Herpes gestationis
- Hypogammaglobulinemia
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
- IgA nephropathy
- IgG4-related sclerosing disease
- Immunoregulatory lipoproteins
- Inclusion body myositis
- Insulin-dependent diabetes (type1)
- Interstitial cystitis
- Juvenile arthritis
- Juvenile diabetes
- Kawasaki syndrome
- Lambert-Eaton syndrome
- Leukocytoclastic vasculitis
- Lichen planus
- Lichen sclerosus
- Ligneous conjunctivitis
- Linear IgA disease (LAD)
- Lupus (SLE)
- Lyme disease, chronic
- Meniere’s disease
- Microscopic polyangiitis
- Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)
- Mooren’s ulcer
- Mucha-Habermann disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Myasthenia gravis
- Myositis
- Narcolepsy
- Neuromyelitis optica (Devic’s)
- Neutropenia
- Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid
- Optic neuritis
- Palindromic rheumatism
- PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus)
- Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration
- Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)
- Parry Romberg syndrome
- Parsonnage-Turner syndrome
- Pars planitis (peripheral uveitis)
- Pemphigus
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Perivenous encephalomyelitis
- Pernicious anemia
- POEMS syndrome
- Polyarteritis nodosa
- Type I, II, & III autoimmune polyglandular syndromes
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Polymyositis
- Postmyocardial infarction syndrome
- Postpericardiotomy syndrome
- Progesterone dermatitis
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Psoriasis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- Pyoderma gangrenosum
- Pure red cell aplasia
- Raynauds phenomenon
- Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
- Reiter’s syndrome
- Relapsing polychondritis
- Restless legs syndrome
- Retroperitoneal fibrosis
- Rheumatic fever
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Schmidt syndrome
- Scleritis
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Sperm & testicular autoimmunity
- Stiff person syndrome
- Subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE)
- Susac’s syndrome
- Sympathetic ophthalmia
- Takayasu’s arteritis
- Temporal arteritis/Giant cell arteritis
- Thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)
- Tolosa-Hunt syndrome
- Transverse myelitis
- Ulcerative colitis
- Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD)
- Uveitis
- Vasculitis
- Vesiculobullous dermatosis
- Vitiligo
- Wegener’s granulomatosis (now termed Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA)
Symptoms
Symptoms of an autoimmune disease vary based on the disease and location of the abnormal immune response. Symptoms that often occur with autoimmune diseases include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- General ill-feeling (malaise)
Immunodeficiency Diseases
An underactive or weakened immune system (Immunodeficiency) is one in which the immune system’s ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent. There are two types of immunodeficency diseases, primary and secondary.
Primary immunodeficiency diseases are genetic in origin, that is, they occur in people who are born with defects in their immune system. According to the International Union of Immunological Societies, more than 150 primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) have been characterized. These diseases are obscure in name to the general population. The most common recognized one might be SCID -Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, (boy-in-the-bubble disease).
Secondary immunodeficiencies are acquired in origin. They result from environmental factors, some therapies, etc. One example is the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by the HIV virus. Other secondary immunodeficiencies arise as the result of having cancer, severe nutritional disorders, burns, infections, exposure to radiation or medications to suppress their immune system as an anti-rejection measure for organ transplantation.
Secondary immunodeficiency diseases are by far the majority of immune deficiencies seen clinically and the number of secondary or acquired immunodeficiency diseases exceeds the number of PIDs.
Note that an immunocompromised person may be particularly vulnerable to opportunistic infections, in addition to normal infections that could affect everyone.
However, if one maintains a healthy immune system the chances of the above diseases are reduced. Glutathione is a very major factor in maintaining good immune system health.