World Autoimmune Arthritis Day - May 20, 2021
The International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis believes that by focusing on this group of diseases and listening to every persons' experience living with them, we can change the stories of tomorrow to be those of early diagnosis, personalized treatments, common remission, and a world that understands the type of arthritis associated with these diseases.
On May 20 every year, the world observes Autoimmune Arthritis Day, an event to raise awareness about autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases that show up with arthritis as a significant component.
The day has been organized since 2012 by a US-based non-profit organization - International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis (AiArthritis).
According to AiArthritis, millions of people have one or the other form of autoimmune arthritis disease globally. About 50% of people with an autoimmune arthritis disease do not get a proper diagnosis or are diagnosed with an undifferentiated disease.
Undifferentiated disease refers to when the person does not show clear signs of a single illness but has symptoms of more than one autoimmune arthritis disease.
Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Diseases
Our immune system is designed to protect us from harmful substances, but when it starts to malfunction and harms healthy cells, it leads to autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Autoinflammatory diseases occur due to a flaw in our innate immune system (the one we are born with). On the other hand, autoimmune diseases arise when our adaptive immune system (the one we acquire after exposure to pathogens or foreign substances) starts glitching.
While autoinflammatory diseases are usually driven by genes and show up early in life, it is usually triggered by genetic and environmental factors.
There are more than 100 types of autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases globally, but only a few of them present with arthritis as a major component.
Core Diseases
AiArthritis lists the following as the core autoimmune arthritis diseases:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sjögren's Syndrome
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Adult-Onset Still's Disease
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
All of these diseases present with arthritis as an early clinical feature and a major component. However, some diseases may or may not have arthritis as a component. These include, but are not limited to, conditions like sarcoidosis, Crohn's disease, and mixed connective tissue disease.
People with gout also experience arthritis, but that is not due to the autoimmune or autoinflammatory condition. Also, osteoarthritis is a type of degenerative arthritis that occurs due to the wear and tear of joints with age.
Symptoms of Autoinflammatory/Autoimmune Diseases and Arthritis
The most common symptoms of autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases are listed as:
- Severe fatigue that is not relieved with caffeine intake
- Fever
- Brain fog
- Flu-like symptoms - malaise, nausea, muscle weakness
If you have arthritis too, you would have the following additional symptoms that will show up (or flare-up) along with the symptoms mentioned above and then subside spontaneously:
- Persistent joint pain for more than six weeks
- Swollen joints
- Stiffness in the body worsens with rest
It is important to note that not everyone with an autoimmune arthritis disease will experience the whole list of symptoms.
Treatment
Autoimmune and autoinflammatory arthritis is difficult to diagnose since the symptoms do not show up in an X-ray for up to 10 years after the onset of the disease. As per AiArthrits, the disease should be diagnosed within six months for the best outcome. However, currently, it takes anywhere between 2 to 3 years to identify autoimmune arthritis disease.
Treatment usually includes corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, and other drugs to manage inflammation and the effects on eyes, skin, heart etc., if they show up. Exercise and dietary modifications are also suggested.
For more information, visit the official website of the International Foundation for Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Arthritis (AiArthritis)
This article was originally posted on Firstpost.