Autoimmune diseases have varied onset ages, but many common ones peak in young to middle adulthood (20s-50s), like Lupus (15-45), RA (30-60), MS (20-40), while Type 1 Diabetes often hits childhood/adolescence (5-14). Some appear in kids (Juvenile Arthritis), and others later in life (Sjögren's, Hashimoto's), but overall, symptoms can start at any age, often in the reproductive years.
78% of people living with autoimmune diseases are women¹ and are often diagnosed with autoimmune diseases between the ages of 15-30. Despite many remarkable advances in modern medicine, it still takes them an average of five years to get to a diagnosis².
Autoimmune Disease Symptoms
Age. Lupus affects people of all ages. But it's most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 45.
Autoimmune diseases are common, especially because there are so many different types. Experts estimate that around 1 in 15 people in the U.S. has an autoimmune disease.
As many as 4 out of 5 of those people are women. Rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and scleroderma are examples of autoimmune disorders marked by lopsided female-to-male ratios. The ratio for lupus is 9 to 1; for Sjogren's syndrome, it's 19 to 1.
Presently, there is little research and evidence about medications, lifestyles, and practices that can prevent autoimmune disorder. However, many health professionals suggest reducing stress and maintaining healthy dietary changes to ensure a better functioning immune system.
The headaches may come in episodes or may be an all-day or frequent occurrence. Headaches may be related to tension in the muscles around the eyes, face, neck or shoulders. Migraines are another common type of headache experienced by people with lupus.
Joint and Muscle Issues
Untreated lupus can take a toll on the musculoskeletal system, causing joint pain, stiffness, and muscle weakness. In some cases, chronic inflammation can lead to the development of arthritis, further impairing mobility and reducing the quality of life for individuals with lupus.
Early lupus warning signs often mimic other illnesses, but key indicators include extreme fatigue, fever, joint pain/swelling, skin rashes (especially a butterfly-shaped rash on the face), hair loss, and sensitivity to sunlight, alongside potential issues like headaches, mouth sores, and fingers/toes turning white or blue in the cold (Raynaud's). These symptoms can appear suddenly or slowly and come and go in flares.
Three factors are at play in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases: genes, immune system, and the environment where the patient lives. The genes confer what is called "predisposition" or genetic susceptibility. The immune system becomes dysregulated and provides the tools for executing the pathological damage.
Micronutrient Deficiencies: deficiencies in vitamin D, vitamin C, selenium, zinc, antioxidants, and omega-3 are linked to the deterioration of the immune system's function, the emergence of inflammation, and the health condition of patients with autoimmune diseases.
Nevertheless, the onset of at least 50% of autoimmune disorders has been attributed to “unknown trigger factors”. Physical and psychological stress has been implicated in the development of autoimmune disease, since numerous animal and human studies demonstrated the effect of sundry stressors on immune function.
Multiple lines of evidence suggest that autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases are on the rise. Probable causes for such increases include the major recent changes in our foods, contacts with xenobiotics, air pollution, infections, lifestyles, psychosocial stress, and climate change.
Common symptoms of autoimmune disease include:
Patients experiencing chronic fatigue related to autoimmune conditions often describe their symptoms as more than just feeling tired during the day. This is significant exhaustion that impacts quality of life and makes it difficult to function on a normal basis.
People with mild lupus may have just a few symptoms, such as skin rashes or achy joints. In other cases, lupus can harm essential organs, including the kidneys and brain. “Diagnosis is one of the biggest challenges patients can face,” says Gourley.
Common Lupus Symptoms
Gender: Even though anyone can get lupus, it most often affects women. They're nine to ten times more likely than men to develop it. Age: Lupus can occur at any age, but most are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s. Race: Lupus is two to three times more common in African-American women than in Caucasian women.
Lupus can also cause inflammation in the joints, which doctors call “inflammatory arthritis.” It can make your joints hurt and feel stiff, tender, warm, and swollen. Lupus arthritis most often affects joints that are farther from the middle of your body, like your fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and toes.
Lupus can also cause other problems in the abdomen, including peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal lining) and ascites (a build-up of fluids in the abdomen). Symptoms of peritonitis and ascites include: Abdominal pain and swelling. Nausea and vomiting.
The most common manifestation of neuro-lupus is cognitive dysfunction, which is characterized by clouded thinking, confusion, and impaired memory.
For instance, he says, “It's been shown that vitamin D deficiency needs to be treated in lupus patients, but the effects are less clear when it comes to patients with rheumatoid arthritis.” Supplementing vitamin D won't cure an autoimmune disease, nor will it provide significant relief from its symptoms.
For those with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, sleep deprivation can increase systemic inflammation and pain sensitivity, amplifying the effects of an already overactive immune system.
Again, it is important to understand that while genetics, infections, smoking, and certain medications are associated with risk, none have been definitively shown to cause autoimmune disease. Instead, autoimmune disease is likely the result of complex interactions between both genetic and environmental risk factors.