| When
an intruder invades your body – like a cold virus or
bacteria on a thorn that pricks your skin – your immune
system protects you. It tries to identify, kill, and
eliminate the invaders that might hurt you. But sometimes
problems with your immune system cause it to mistake your
body’s own healthy cells as invaders and then repeatedly
attack them. This is called an autoimmune disease. (Autoimmune
means immunity against the self.) Many parts of the body
such as the red blood cells, blood vessels, connective
tissues, digestive system, endocrine system, muscles,
joints, nerves and skin may be affected. Autoimmune diseases
predominantly affect women, frequently during their
childbearing years. These diseases often tend to be
hereditary, and certain environmental factors may also
contribute to a weakened immune system.
Autoimmune disease symptoms vary from individual to
individual, with each disease being different.
Ranging from mild symptoms
to more debilitating conditions, a
malfunction of the immune system occurs in all of them.
What is the
association of Vitiligo with autoimmune disease?
Vitiligo is more common in people with certain autoimmune
diseases (diseases in which a person's immune system reacts
against the body's own organs or tissues). Autoimmune
diseases that are associated with Vitiligo include:
hyperthyroidism (over activity of the thyroid gland),
adrenocortical insufficiency (the adrenal gland does not
produce enough of the hormone corticosteroid), alopecia
areata (patches of baldness), and pernicious anemia (a low
level of red blood cells caused by the failure of the body
to absorb vitamin B12).
The
basis for the association between Vitiligo and these
autoimmune diseases is not well understood. Moreover, the
connection between them seems optional. Most people with
vitiligo, fortunately, have no autoimmune disease such as
hyperthyroidism, adrenocortical insufficiency, alopecia
areata or pernicious anemia.
Culled
from www.viticlear.com |
