home » healthy outlook blog

Healthy Outlook Blog

What’s Triggering The Global Autoimmune Disease Epidemic?

By Lisa Collier Cool | Posted October 11 2010

Up to 23.5 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease (AD), one of the leading causes of death for women under age 65. In developed countries around the world, 5 to 7 percent of the population is affected—and rates are soaring, an expert panel reported at the “Global State of Autoimmunity” briefing for international health ministers hosted by the United Nations’ NGO Health Committee and the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association (AAARD) on September 25th of this year.

#

There are more than 100 autoimmune diseases, in which the body attacks its own organs or tissue. Genes play a key role, reported panelist Yehuda Shoenfeld, MD, incumbent chair for research of autoimmune diseases at Tel-Aviv University. “Among identical twins, if one has an autoimmune disease, there’s a 30 percent chance the other twin will also develop one, though not always the same disease.”

While genes may load the gun, by making some people more susceptible to AD, environment appears to pull the trigger, explaining 70 percent of risk. One study found that lupus is four times more likely to strike people of African descent who live in London than those who live in sub-Saharan Africa. In India, where AD is rare among the poor, rates are now rising among the middle class. Globally, a similar trend applies, since autoimmune disease remains uncommon in developing countries, while increasing in developed nations.

Although the cause of autoimmune disease isn’t yet known, such findings have inspired the “hygiene hypothesis,” the theory that in the modern world, we may be too clean for our own good, explains Joel Weinstock, MD, director of the division of gastroenterology/hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. “Throughout human history, humans lived in crowded conditions with poor sanitation, in close proximity to animals.”

As a result, infectious diseases and intestinal parasites were common in the past, adds Dr. Weinstock, a panelist at the conference. “Lack of these exposures during childhood may be turning off regulatory circuits in the immune system,” making it more likely to overreact to harmless substances, sparking allergies and autoimmune disease. “As we get rid of worms all over the world, the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has gone from 1 in 10,000 people to one in 200.”

Dr. Weinstock is conducting clinical trials of an unusual “medication” for Crohn’s disease (a type of IBD): treatment with live whipworms, an intestinal parasite. “The study found that 50 percent of patients had a major improvement, compared to 15 percent of those in the control group.” Mike, 31, of Bronx, New York says that after 15 years of suffering from debilitating Crohn’s disease that didn’t respond to drugs or three surgeries, he tried the experimental worm therapy and went into remission.

Other speakers at the conference also discussed a striking global pattern: The further someone lives from the Equator, the higher their risk for some types of AD, including type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. This suggests that vitamin D deficiency, which is most common in northern countries that get less sunlight in winter, could be another trigger. And since autoimmune disease disproportionately strikes women, estrogen may also play a role.

Some outbreaks of AD have been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals. “Behavior also influences risk,” adds Betty Diamond, MD, center director, department of autoimmune diseases at Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York. “People with certain genes are at five times higher risk for rheumatoid arthritis, but you have the genes and also smoke, the risk of getting it is 20 times higher,” yet another compelling reason for tobacco users to kick the habit.

CONNECT THE DOTS

To learn more, visit American Autoimmune Related Disease Association, which has patient information on more than 80 diseases and research reports or MedlinePlus.

  • Katrina Lorenzi

    I have a compromised ammune system and just yesterday I was diagnosed with AD.

  • nsignia

    Have they considered the fact that developed countries eat the highest levels of processed, gmo and nutritionally dead foods? Add to that a stunning lack of exercise, chemical over exposure, Pharmiceutically influenced western medicine, etc. And they blame our society’s poor health on a lack of worms? Wow.

  • Mary

    I am a woman 75 years old. I have 3 autoimmuned diseases. Mast cell, hasamoto and morphea. Is there anyone out there who has more than 1 AD. Naturally I am concerned but I understand there is no cure. Does anyone know the real cause of AD?

  • Maija Haavisto

    Not bizarre at all. The standard therapies for autoimmune therapies “work” by bizarre principles, as they are immunosuppressants and autoimmune diseases are immune deficiencies. Medieval approach that only worsens the illnesses in the long run.

    Besides helminth therapy and vitamin D, a rational approach to treatment of autoimmune diseases is use of immunostimulants/immunoregulators, such as low dose naltrexone, which is by far both the safest and the most effective treatment for autoimmune disease.

    It won’t take many more years until immunosuppressant drugs will be seen as just as primitive as things like lobotomy are seen now.

  • Alan R

    I was recently diagnosed with Vitilago I’m losing the skin pigment in my hands and face. I was also diagnosed with stage 3 arthritis in my left knee. There is no known history of this disease in my family.

  • Laina

    Check into Celiac Disease. It has been an eye opener. Don’t ignore this idea. My daughter has it and it has contributed to her vitilago, hashimoto, It is just a matter of being strong minded and give up gluten. We are on a gluten-free diet and everyong is feeling better.

  • Sherry L. Newberry

    It is my understanding that trauma in childhood is on the list of keys to the lock on the box of genes which are linked to AD. Once this box is opened, it is possible, even likely, that you will collect more than one AD, and there is no going back. My doctor thinks undiagnosed Celiac Disease has been the “mother ship” disease for me. I have had Arthritis/Lupus for 39 years now, onset at 23 just weeks after giving birth to my first child. Surely there was a hormone connection. Also, there had been pre-eclampsia and eclampsia during the pregnancy. I am 62 now and not doing so well, but am trying to maintain a positive attitude .

  • Luigi

    The diet that started in the 20th century is the cause of most of our health problems. Whole foods, lots of fruit and vegetables with small portions of chicken, fish and red meat and cutting out all the processed starches such as white bread, fake supermarket whole wheat bread, cereals and high fructose corn syrup improves anybody’s health.

  • William Rees

    ~~~My wife has been suffering from undiagnosed symptoms of Celiac disease for 20 years. Testing has come back negative several times yet the symptoms continue. Is it possible the test results could be wrong?

  • Herb

    I am sorry to learn about this, but it is very interesting. Some time ago I came up with the “cave man” hypothesis – if it wasavailable and good for teh cave man – it should be available and good for you.

    I’m afraid that most, if not all of the processed foods and genetically modified foods are not as good a product as what nature offers. We can not out smart nature. It is by definition – perfect.

  • Pam Bullen

    I have MS and was looking at being w/c bound with a feeding tube. My life was changed when I gave up whole grain and introduced pharmaceutical grade supplements.

  • Sara

    MY father grew up in dirt, in the streets, and was beaten up & bullied every day. I have YET to see anyone happier, healtier, and more functional in EVERY WAY than my currently 75 yr old dad( who looks 45). As a scientist, I KNOW that we are evolved in the WILD and the more we pander to the stupid idea of modern life, living and behavior and get used to our cocoon’s life style for ourselves and even worse for our wimpy pampered kids, the more we are going to cause our own extinction and misery. Just imagine a zoo animal and compare them to wild ones, we are ALL zoo animals, all depressed, unhealthy, and good for nothing. Some old fashioned, NATURAL, way of life is definitely a good thing.

  • jean

    I concur with Laina. Celiac Disease is the biggest factor.

  • Kate

    Has anyone looked into the usage of genetically modified wheat or seeds in connection with the rise of Celiac disease or gluten intolerance???

  • RevRico

    I work in the inner city areas of Kingston, Jamaica where nobody has the time to search to see if they had AD of any type…BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO FOOD TO EAT!!! When will America stop being so introverted so they come up with a new disease every other year? And Americans will continue to eat right, exercise right, look at food this and that, and still be the most unhealthy and most obese people on the earth. The fat gene didn’t migrate to the US…people eat too much and that’s usually at the root of all these deseases…no obese people in the slums!!! No kids in the slums telling me they won’t eat the food I give them because it has gluten or some other harmful this and that. America wake up, stop spending all these millions of dollars on research, and instead, give to feed the poor and the hungry who could care less if there was gluten in the one and only meal they were eating for a few days…

  • tony jones

    Ionized water no diet pop and don’t eat pork. Very hard to detect
    tricinoces. PH level in body must be 7.0 or better and check in morning with PH strip and first urine in morning. Stay away from all sugar and if you smoke or drink good luck your pills will ruin you.
    Why complain if you cant change life. You are the key not the doctor.
    Also tens unit and freq. codes will kill any virus. READ study live.

  • Sandy Pacheco

    I found the information in the study most helpful. I have been diagnosed with several auto-immune diseases and am always looking for more information on why this seems to be so prevalent. Thank you!

  • karen

    All AD’s should be tested at IGenix Lab in CA for Lyme and co-infections, although many Dr.’s refuse to do this due to lack of knowlege and unwillingness to question IDSA guidelines.

  • Jan Pendleton

    On the positive side, my mother had discoid lupus and lived an active life until 68, when she died of smoker’s cancer. I have both SLE (systemic lupus erthematosis) and sjogren’s antibodies, diagnosed nearly 10 years ago, a WAY-positive ANA (titer count 2600:1). Other than some skin outbreaks, a few drug-related stiff joints, new dry eyes, and off and on fatigue (depression), I live an active life, including lots of running and walking and weights and rowing. I am 63 and have gone back to school to get a graduate degree and hope to teach for another 10 years!

  • Lisa Collier Cool

    Re celiac disease, I wrote an article on it for Yahoo! recently looking at why this condition is on the rise, with a recent study finding that it appears to be nearly 5 times more common today than in the 1950s. I also discussed gluten-free diets.

    http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/why-celiac-disease-rise

  • pam martens

    I am a 65 year old female that has had to deal with active sjogrin syndrome and fibromyalgia autoimmune disorders since 1997. It was hard to get a diagnois at the time, The medical field were not as informed about the dieases as they are now. Your Eye Doctor and/or Dentist can be a good sorce on these diseases. Also a informed primary Doctor is a plus on handling the problems that go along with Sojogin’s Sydrome and Fibromyalgia. pamm

  • Permilla

    I agree with Laina. Both my husband and I have AD’s i.e. Hypothyroidism and Diabetes. We eat gluten free and never use artificial sweeteners. We also stay away from processed foods and eat mostly whole foods. If a food cannot spoil then we know we shouldn’t eat it.

  • Antoinette

    My dauaghter was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis which is an autoimmune disease. She has a very severe case and is on a lot of medication. I was wondering since her enviroment is surrounded by cow could this have trigger it?

  • Denise Duncan

    I have scardosis and why is that never spoke about its in the same family as lupus and and other autoimmune diseases…

  • carol

    I have Sjorgren,s Syndrome for about 10 yrs now, I had to educate almost all of my Doctors as not many (1) had heard about it. It is a disease you fight 24 hrs a day. I hate it, mabe now that a star has it we might get some help an / or medications for this hateful disease.

  • Marilyn Bellantoni

    What about the correlation between over-vaccinated
    populations and the rise of auto-immune disorders.
    Is it merely coincidence that many people’s AD symptoms emerge shortly after being vaccinated?
    Could the virus or some adjuvant in the vaccine trigger autoimmune response in some individuals?
    More research is needed to address this issue.

  • Angela

    Maja – autoimmune diseases are not caused by immune deficiencies; it is overactive immune systems. That is why they suppress the immune systems.

  • rita b

    I am a 62 year old african-american, and before
    most people could pronounce Sjogren’s I was told
    that I had it, this was in 1983. My eye doctor
    discovered this after testing me for dry eyes.
    Some doctors thought I had Lupus. I believe the
    number of people with Sjogren’s in 1983 was very small because my doctors were unsure how to treat
    me.

  • Iamme Whoru

    To the post of multi-AD: I have medically documented 9 different ones. It is common to have more than one. However, some experts believe that they are looking at the conditions wrongly. There are actually over 2000 different AD diseases! Considering how many there actually are, some postulate that there really is only AD…which manifests in singular or multiple ways in any given individual. I tend to agree with this. Hence, I do not dwell on any one of the nine; I approach the matter as a whole body issue. Since I am also IGg deficent (born with an incomlpete imune system)I focus on building up my natual resistance and have always ate a whole foods, semi-vegan diet. Due to the diagnosis of CD, I am also gluten free (only good advise for those with the problem). I use medically documented supplimentation and mineral soaks, per doctors directions. Be pro active…most doctors rely on the Rx industry to treat everything. AD in general, responds poorly to this approach. Find research minded Doctors who treat from a whole body approach. I have been dealing with this since 1999 (diagnosis) and since early 90′s when as an athlete, I knew something was very wrong. There is a lot you can do for yourself; watch out for the hawkers trying to make a quick buck off of your desperation…always research! :)

  • Gloria Watkins

    Since yesterday after reading Venus’ story, I faxed some of these findings to my Doctor because I believe that I have been misdiagnosed. Three different Doctors as of march 2011 have tried everything they know to do and they all tell me that I have UTI (which I saw on the website yesterday). Nothing has helped me. maybe I will get some relief as I have quite a few of the given symptoms Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation website. I enen found out what killed my sister in 1994. She suffered with Sclerodera (autoimmune condition). I will be seeing my Doctor next Monday to see what he thinks.

  • Shannin

    I have had Alopecia for over twenty years. Pulmonary doctor seems to think I have fibromyalgia too. MAy need to look into this further.

  • Debra

    I have been battling a small intestine bacterial overgrowth and a resulting intestinal fungus from antibiotic usage for over 2 years. This has lead to celiac disease and other endocrine system disorders, including adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s is unconfirmed). I have drastically changed my diet…no gluten, soy, lactose, corn, stimlulants, sugar with a high protein, low carb intake. I’m better, but not totally well.

  • alorin

    I have lupus (SLE), Sjogren’s, and Raynaud’s. These diseases /syndromes often co-exist. i have a sister who also has SLE and Raynaud’s. It’s unfortunate that AD rates are increasing, however, I’m glad that the public is being made more aware of these frustrating, chronic/potentially life threatening illnesses.

  • Sue Ellen CrossLea

    I have had Sjogren’s for about 30 yrs. although it has been difficult for my medical people to accept. Instead I have been told that I am depressed and have been treated for that. Until very recently I was left to treat my Sjoegren’s Syndrome symptoms myself, and still am to a great extent. I do not understand this and hope that Venus Williams having announced that she has this condition will greatly improve its acceptance as a real illness.

  • Ericka Hoke

    My parents are both healthly people but my brother, 8 years older than me, has vitiligo which started in his 30′s. I have fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, endometriosis and we are both type 2 diabetic. No family history of any of these! My dad worked at a landfill from the time I was about 2 until I was 16. I think some of the things he brought home on his clothing effected us.

  • Lland

    nsignia, I agree. I was exposed to weekly spraying of pesticides in the building I worked in (it has a courtyard) and ended up with metals poisoning, left with severe allergies, fibromyalgia, etc. In 3rd world countries they don’t always have the toxic exposures we do. They might also just die younger and statisticly fall out as there are not likely to be medical records for persons in poor areas of the world (including the USA).

  • Lourdes

    How about artificial milk (formula) as a really likely culprit?

  • Chris

    I have 4 autoimmune diseases, so there are a couple of people out there that won’t get them. Have the researchers taken into account the high death rate of children in poor countries? We with poor immune systems might have been kept alive due to our lifestyle.

  • Jeannie

    My partner was in the hospital recently with a rare auto immune disease known as TTP (Thrombotic Thrombocydipedic Purpura) It was my first experience with an auto immune disease. I hope Venus Williams unfortunate experience opens up the doors to more people being aware of such diseases. There is no known reason for why my partner got it. It is crazy and scary.

  • Pam Ferguson

    I am on a gluten free diet as well. Lupus is lurking suspiciously. Doctors are freaking me out. I do not want to go on steroids etc. again. She said “it could make you crazy”, but you need these medicines.

  • Diane

    Another star athlete is struck with a “Rare” autoimmune disorder. Phil Mickelson, Venus Williams, and the coach from Tennessee. I wish the medical establishment would allow for the possibility of why everything is on the rise is because of Lyme Disease and its co-infections. They are devastating and mimic all of the diseases that are listed under “autoimmune.” I had all of the same sypmtoms as Venus for 10 years. No doctor would help me. Mayo Clinic, no. University of Iowa, No. Many, many, many other doctors. You need the PCR testing, don’t settle for anything else and have a doctor that is lyme literate read the results. I got my life back with a course of long term antibiotics. Simple, HUH? Why aren’t they looking at the vector borne infections???? They are in the blood so I imagine they are transferred by blood, too.

  • kathleen

    I was dianosed at age 31 yrs with sjogrens syndrome. 8 yrs later it was found my silicone breast implants had been ruptured for many years.I had also developed many other auto immune symptoms. Many woman with silicone breast implants( or saline as they have a silicone shell) have an auto immune disorder. Wonder if Venus Williams has implants? Sjogrens is usuallly a disease which affects after age 50 yrs+. good this unusual disease is getting headlines. Many of my dentists dont even know what it is as they dont see it often !!

  • Ann

    I was diagnosed with Sjogren’s about 9 yrs ago. I have found that infections trigger my flares. I have also been diag. with osteoarthritis, fibro, Raynuad’s, I was born with two heart defects and have had three heart attacks. Two of which were blood clots. I can’t take any meds for my Sjogrens’. When I flare I loose weight, my joints hurt, overall misery. They have put me on 50mg of prednisone when it’s bad. But, that causes chest pain. I’ve had symtoms of Lupus too. I’m wondering if that’s not being over looked.

  • Barbara

    I believe one of the behaviors that increases risk of autoimmune diseases of all kinds is ignoring symptoms of viral illness and going to work or school anyway. This causes stress responses in our bodies that can confuse our immune system components. There is probably good reason why we want to stay in bed and sleep when we feel ill. This allows our immune system to do its work without competition and perhaps the opportunity to make an error that sets off an AD. But in the modern world we don’t want to or can’t call in sick and stay home.

  • Jen

    If estrogen may play a role, then it’s time to start considering the amount of products our there including body wash, shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, dryer sheets, Canned foods,etc etc, that use estrogenic ingredients. For instance, BPA is estrogenic – it mimics estrogen. And we all know it’s everywhere – even in our canned food. But there are so many other factors as well, such as stress (which effects your adrenal glands) which in turn overtaxes your immune system. And caffeine does the same thing; by increasing short bursts of energy and draining the adrenal glands, thus weakening the immune system. Refined sugar – the same effect. Our enviroments are definitely a factor, as mentioned in the article. All of the pieces are slowly coming together.

Social Presence