The Autoimmune Epidemic

LUPUS, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND TYPE 1 DIABETES ARE JUST SOME OF THE MANY AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES. BUT WHAT DOES THE TERM MEAN? AND WHAT’S BEHIND THEIR RISE? SARA BUNNY TAKES A LOOK

- Sara Bunny

Whether you’re avoiding that chesty cough doing the rounds at the office, sporting a burn on your finger from last night’s cooking mishap, or you’ve rubbed your eye straight after holding onto the handrail on the shopping mall escalator, our immune system is always hard at work. It protects us from the billions of bacteria we share our lives with, goes into battle when a virus comes our way, and works around the clock to safeguard our health so our body can function at its best. Our incredible ability to heal and fight infection has helped to ensure our species’ survival throughout the ages, and no machine or synthetic medicine has yet been able to replicate the power of our natural immunity.

But just as the body can put up a fight when our health is at risk, it can also wage war against itself. There are thought to be around 100 different autoimmune illnesses in existence, but each shares a common link – they all arise from the body’s immune system mistakenly attacking its own healthy cells. Conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis fall into the autoimmune disorder category, and while the symptoms can be managed, there is no known cure.

Across the world, rates of autoimmune illnesses are thought to have risen up to seven per cent a year for the past three decades – and it’s a worrying trend that’s left experts scratching their heads. Genetics can be a factor – some types of autoimmune diseases run in families – but new research into epigenetics has focused more on the ways in which certain genes can get ‘switched on and off’ due to environmental factors.