Autoimmune problems are on the rise, but these treatments can help.
Allergies are a hypersensitive response of the immune system to otherwise harmless substances called allergens, which is also the case with asthma and eczema. But they aren’t the only conditions resulting from a problem with the immune system. Others include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and type 1 diabetes, which are autoimmune diseases in which the body attacks its own organs and tissues, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints, and while it can begin at any age, the incidence increases with age, the CDC reports. It’s also more common among women. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are typically seen by a rheumatologist, and those with type 1 diabetes are treated by an endocrinologist, who can prescribe a variety of treatments.
Dr. John M. Pulcini, an allergist/immunologist with Prisma Health, sees his fair share of patients with immune system problems, including deficiencies that lead to recurrent ear, sinus, or respiratory infections like pneumonia and bronchitis. “If everyone gets a cold, but for you, it goes to bronchitis, that’s a sign there might be something wrong with (the) immune system,” he says.
Sometimes, these patients can be given pneumonia vaccines to jump-start the immune system, which enables them to recover. But if the immune system doesn’t respond, Dr. Pulcini checks to see if they have enough antibodies to fight off infections. Some of these patients are prescribed antibiotics, though that can lead to side effects and antibiotic resistance. “We try not to do that, particularly with the older population,” he notes.
Others with more significant infections may need replacement immunoglobulin, a treatment made from pooled blood product antibodies that can be administered intravenously in the office, or subcutaneously at home by the patient.
Pulcini compares it to adding a player to a team that’s been struggling with too few players. Temporary immune deficiencies can also result from medications, including those used to treat cancer; from infections like the flu; and from smoking, alcohol, and poor nutrition, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Allergies and Autoimmune Problems
Allergies, meanwhile, are on the rise, increasing from twenty percent of the population nationwide to thirty percent over the past three decades, says Dr. Emil Sarmiento, an allergist with the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center in Greenville. And the incidence may be approaching forty percent worldwide.
Allergies tend to run in families, which accounts for some of the increase, as does increased diagnosis. But there are other reasons for the rise as well, including the hygiene hypothesis. This theory posits that exposure to allergens in infancy or early childhood helps the immune system develop protection against allergies, and those who grow up in super-clean environments never get a chance to develop that protection. Another study concluded that people who grow up with multiple pets are less likely to develop allergies to them. “It’s all dose-related and how much you’re being exposed,” says Sarmiento.
Experts also point to a warming climate because higher temperatures increase carbon dioxide levels, which promote plant growth. Climate change also means longer growing seasons. “Anything that’s conducive for the growth of vegetation, like ragweed and trees, the more sources of pollen end up in the air,” Sarmiento adds. “And we are having more days with high pollen counts.”
Allergy treatments range from over-the-counter medications that can relieve symptoms to allergy shots that desensitize a person to the allergen over time, so the immune system no longer overreacts.
Pulcini advises that patients who have concerns about symptoms should start with their primary care doctor, who can refer them to the appropriate specialist, if necessary.
Allergy Facts
- More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year
- Asthma affects more than 24 million people in the U.S.
- Allergies are the 6th leading cause of chronic illness nationwide
Source: American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
