Autoimmune Disease Flare Up

An autoimmune disease is caused by the immune system attacking healthy cells and organs within your own body by mistake. These diseases tend to run in families. The exact cause is unknown but viruses, chemicals, environmental factors, and nutrition have all been linked to different types of autoimmune diseases. There are more than 80 different autoimmune diseases. Some of them are rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, type 1 diabetes, irritable bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, Addison’s disease, Grave’s disease, and celiac disease.

Autoimmune diseases can affect any part of your body. Women are more likely to develop an autoimmune disease than a man. You are also at a higher risk of developing another autoimmune disease if you already suffer from one.

Autoimmune diseases are tricky to diagnose. There is no exact test. Symptoms can be confusing, because they can come and go with no rhyme or reason. If you expect your symptoms could be caused by an autoimmune disease it can be helpful to look at your full family history. If you have certain autoimmune diseases that run in your family you are more likely to be at risk of having the same ones. Keep a symptom tracker. Symptoms can vary depending on the type of autoimmune disease. It can also be helpful to notice what makes your symptoms better or what makes your symptoms worse. See specialists for the symptoms that are most bothersome.

Symptoms of an autoimmune disease depend on the type. If you have inflammatory bowel disease, common symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bleeding ulcers. Grave’s disease symptoms include tachycardia, heat intolerance, unintentional weight loss, and swelling of the thyroid gland. There are some symptoms that are common across most autoimmune diseases. These symptoms are fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness, low grade fever, muscle aches, swelling, trouble concentrating, hair loss, skin rash, numbness or tingling of the hands and feet, and abdominal pain. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. They can come and go. A period of time where you aren’t experiencing any symptoms is called remission. A period of time where symptoms get worse is a flare up. It is normal for autoimmune disease symptoms to come and go.

An autoimmune disease flare up can also be called a bout, relapse, or an episode. This flare up is a period of time where the signs and symptoms of the disease seem to be worsening. Symptoms are usually more severe than your baseline. They can even be so severe that they interfere with daily activities. If you have labs drawn during a flare up the labs will show an increase in autoimmune markers. Flare ups are caused by autoantibodies and cytokines that cause inflammation in different tissues and organs in your body. Triggers of a flare up can be similar to triggers of your autoimmune disease. Triggers of flare ups can include stress, diet, drugs, medications, pregnancy, alcohol, season changes, environmental toxins, or infections.

During an autoimmune flare up your symptoms for your specific disease will worsen. If you have Crohn’s disease you may experience diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, mouth sores, and other symptoms related to the gastrointestinal tract. More general flare up symptoms are depression, anxiety, sadness, easily frustrated, heightened pain, exhaustion, poor sleep, foggy thinking, forgetfulness, and poor comprehension.

Learning triggers can help decrease flare ups. If you find yourself in a flare up there are some things you can do to help decrease symptoms and get back to either a state of remission, or a state where your symptoms are not as severe. It is important to slow down. Lower your stress levels, take a few days to have no commitments. Sleep, make sure you are prioritizing your sleep on a daily basis. Exercise can also help with an autoimmune flare up. In some cases exercises can cause flare ups, so make sure you know if this is something that affects you before you decide to do an intense workout. If you have an underlying infection causing your flare up, look to get that treated. Avoid sugar and check your diet. Sometimes foods are a very easy autoimmune trigger. Eating healthy and cutting certain foods out of your diet may significantly help your symptoms. Look for ways to reduce the overall inflammation in your body.

There is no cure for autoimmune diseases. They are usually lifelong chronic conditions that you will have to learn to live with. Thankfully most of them are able to be managed with medications and lifestyle changes. Most autoimmune diseases are not fatal when treated appropriately. Even with an autoimmune disease you should be able to live a full life with no shortened life expectancy. Treatment for autoimmune diseases is to get you in a place of remission where symptoms are extremely mild to nonexistent.