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GoodRx Guide
Autoimmune Disorders: Your GoodRx Guide
Written by Mandy Armitage, MD | Reviewed by Sophie Vergnaud, MD
Published on April 29, 2021An autoimmune disease or disorder is a problem with the way that the body’s defense (immune) system works. The immune system is a complex network of:
Reviewed by Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP | June 28, 2024
Organs
Cells
Proteins
Chemical messengers
It is meant to help protect us from foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Most of the time, it works well, and we don’t even notice it’s there.
Sometimes, though, the immune system reacts against normal, healthy parts of the body. When that happens, it’s called autoimmune disease. The hallmark of autoimmune disease is inflammation, which can be harmful over time.
Autoimmune disease affects between 5% and 8% of the U.S. population. More than 100 autoimmune disorders exist, and some are more common than others. Here are some of the more common ones:
Type 1 diabetes
Autoimmune thyroiditis
Grave’s disease
Rheumatoid arthritis
Psoriasis
Crohn’s disease
Ulcerative colitis
Multiple sclerosis
Vitiligo
Alopecia
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Celiac disease
Ankylosing spondylitis
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Causes
Experts aren’t sure what causes the immune system to become dysfunctional. But they have identified certain factors that can increase your chances of getting autoimmune disease:
Genetics: differences in genes or how they’re expressed
Environment: exposure to chemicals, sunlight, or infections
Lifestyle: smoking and nutrition
It’s likely that a combination of two or more of these factors leads to the development of autoimmune disease.
Autoimmune diseases have become more common worldwide in the last 30 years. A similar trend has been noted in the U.S., especially among teenagers. Experts aren’t sure why, but they believe it is related to changes in our environments or lifestyles.
Some people are more at risk for developing autoimmune disease than others, depending on:
Family history: Many autoimmune diseases run in families, and some families experience more than one type.
Ethnicity: People of African descent are more likely to be affected by lupus and scleroderma, whereas people of European descent are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes and autoimmune thyroid disease.
Biological sex: Most autoimmune conditions affect more women than men. In fact, autoimmune disease is roughly twice as common in women.
Symptoms
Autoimmune disorders can affect any system of the body, so a wide variety of symptoms is possible. There is some overlap, though. Common symptoms include:
Fever
General aches and pains
Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
Rash
Swollen glands
In many cases, autoimmune conditions affect primarily one organ system and cause a specific set of symptoms. Here are some examples:
Dermatologic (skin): scleroderma and psoriasis
Endocrine (hormones): Hashimoto’s thyroid disease and Graves’ disease
Musculoskeletal (bones and muscles): rheumatoid arthritis and myositis
Neurologic: multiple sclerosis (MS) and myasthenia gravis
Vascular (blood vessels): giant cell arteritis and vasculitis
However, many autoimmune diseases affect several organ systems all at once or over time. For example, systemic lupus erythematosus can affect the skin and joints, as well as the kidneys and the heart, among other parts of the body. Similarly, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease of the endocrine system, but it can have widespread effects on the body.
Related Health Conditions
Diagnosis
How quickly and easily you can get a diagnosis and treatment depends on the particular autoimmune disease. For example, testing for Hashimoto’s disease is relatively simple, as is treatment for most people. On the other hand, there isn’t a quick test for most autoimmune conditions, so getting a diagnosis is less straightforward (and sometimes can be frustrating). There is often a process of testing and ruling out other things, which can involve blood tests, imaging tests, or both.
However, once a diagnosis is made, treatment can begin. While medications are important, know that treatment can take other forms, too. That’s why people with autoimmune diseases often see a team of different providers for their health needs. This is a good thing because the more support you can get, the better. Your team might include any of the following:
Physician specialists (such as rheumatologists, neurologists, or gastroenterologists)
Infusion or medication nurses
Physical and/or occupational therapists
Nutritionists
Care coordinators
Social workers
Mental health specialists
At the end of the day, know that you’re not alone. Having an autoimmune disorder can be confusing, exhausting, and difficult. But medications are improving, research is ongoing, and support is available. If you’re struggling with the emotional aspects of autoimmune disease, please reach out to your healthcare provider.
Medications
Treatment for autoimmune disease often involves prescription medications, specifically ones that target the immune system. Not every medication will be appropriate for every autoimmune disease.
NSAIDs and steroids
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and/or glucocorticoids (“steroids”) work well against inflammation and are often quick to relieve symptoms.
They are not meant to be used as regular treatment because they have side effects when used long term, such as gastrointestinal bleeding (caused by NSAIDs) and bone loss (caused by glucocorticoids).
Disease-modifying drugs
The most effective treatments dampen the immune activity responsible for the autoimmune disease. In this way, they reduce damage to tissues and organs caused by long-term inflammation. Other names for these medications are disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or immunosuppressants.
Conventional or traditional disease-modifying drugs include:
Newer disease-modifying drugs are called biologics. Unlike most other medications, they are made using biotechnology, rather than chemistry. Most biologic treatments for autoimmune disease are monoclonal antibodies, lab-made antibodies designed to target specific parts of the immune system.
Here are some examples of biologics treatments used in autoimmune disease:
Adalimumab (Humira)
Etanercept (Enbrel)
Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus)
Rituximab (Rituxan)
Tocilizumab (Actemra)
Sarilumab (Kevzara)
Ixekizumab (Taltz)
Secukinumab (Cosentyx)
Tofacitinib (Xeljanz)
Baricitinib (Olumiant)
Because of their effects on the immune system, these medications can increase your risk of serious infection. Other side effects are possible as well.
Treatments
Autoimmune diseases are typically lifelong and can greatly impact a person’s quality of life. While there is no cure for them, effective treatments are available. They can help relieve symptoms, decrease the risk of complications, and improve your ability to perform daily activities.
Specific treatments depend on the individual disease. But the general principles and goals of treatment are as follows:
Avoid triggers (such as gluten in celiac disease)
Relieve symptoms
Control the immune system’s effects on the body
Prevent further damage from the disease
If needed, replace what the body can no longer make because of autoimmune disease, such as insulin in type 1 diabetes or thyroid hormone in Hashimoto’s disease
Prevention
It’s not yet possible to prevent autoimmunity from developing in the first place, but if you do have an autoimmune disorder, understanding what triggers your symptoms can be helpful. For many people, triggers can be related to diet. For example, red meat and alcohol have been linked to flares of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Similarly, people with lupus are often advised to avoid alfalfa.
That said, it’s important to know that there is no magic diet for people with autoimmune disease, despite what you may read online. There’s not enough research to support any specific diet recommendations. (An exception: The treatment for celiac disease is avoiding gluten in foods, medications, and other products.) That’s not to say that you won’t have specific dietary triggers that are unique to you. If you do notice a link between what you’re eating and your symptoms, be sure to speak with your healthcare provider. They can provide the best guidance or put you in touch with a dietitian or nutritionist who can. At the very least, noticing these patterns can help you avoid your specific triggers.
Common concerns
What are the most common autoimmune diseases?
According to the Autoimmune Registry, the five most common are:
Rheumatoid arthritis
Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis
Celiac disease
Graves’ disease
Type 1 diabetes
Which parts of the body are affected by autoimmune diseases?
Autoimmune diseases, by definition, affect the immune system. That is the one thing they all have in common. Aside from that, it’s important to know that each autoimmune disease affects the body differently. That’s why signs and symptoms are different from one autoimmune disease to the next.
Can autoimmune diseases lead to life-threatening issues?
Yes. Some autoimmune diseases can affect vital organs, such as the heart and lungs. In severe cases, they can be life-threatening.
That said, most autoimmune diseases are not life-threatening.
Is it possible to have more than one autoimmune condition at the same time?
Yes. In fact, some autoimmune diseases are more likely than others to occur together. For example, people with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have autoimmune thyroid disease. However, some autoimmune diseases are less likely to occur together, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis.
References
American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. (2018). Autoimmune disease list.
Angum, F., et al. (2020). The prevalence of autoimmune disorders in women: A narrative review. Cureus.
View All References (10)
Autoimmune Registry. Estimates of prevalence for autoimmune disease.
Cooper, G. S., et al. (2009). Recent insights in the epidemiology of autoimmune diseases: Improved prevalence estimates and understanding of clustering of diseases. Journal of Autoimmunity.
Lerner, A., et al. (2015). The world incidence and prevalence of autoimmune diseases is increasing. International Journal of Celiac Disease.
Lewis, J. D., et al. (2017). Diet as a trigger or therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases. Gastroenterology.
Lupus Foundation of America (2013). Diet and nutrition with lupus
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2020). Treatment for celiac disease.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. (2021). Autoimmune diseases.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. (2020). Autoimmunity may be rising in the United States.
National Institutes of Health. (2005). Progress in autoimmune diseases research.
Office on Women’s Health. (2019). Autoimmune diseases.
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Resources and tools for autoimmune disorders
