What does our immune system do? All of you know the answer – It protects the body from infections by fighting off germs like bacteria and viruses which enter our body from the environment. We have an army of cells specially trained in this sort of battle. These soldier cells called the White blood cells (WBC) and have a variety of mechanisms by which they function, some engulf the germs and inactivate them, some secrete weapons called antibodies which inactivate the germs and so on. As long as the immune system is at its job, our body can ward off infections. When these sentries of the body weaken then the germs get an upper hand and one falls ill. Good food, a healthy lifestyle all help in maintaining a good functioning immune system.
Ever wondered what might happen if these WBCs decide to overwork – At the outset, you may think “Isn’t that good? We would be super healthy then” Unfortunately that is not the case – an overzealous immune system is as harmful as an underperforming one. The immune system is specially trained to recognize and identify the ‘self’ cells and tissues as compared to foreign cells that come from the environment. They are educated never to attack the body’s own cells and tissues. This is the reason why the immune system does not attack your own tissues – and this is why an overenthusiastic immune system proves to be dangerous.
Imagine your white blood cells on a rampage, attacking your own body. This is what happens in a type of disease called Type 1 diabetes, in which the immune system launches an attack against the insulin-producing organ of the body – the pancreas. The same happens in a type of arthritis called Rheumatoid arthritis where the immune system attacks the joints and even sometimes other tissues of the body. Diseases like these are called autoimmune diseases meaning diseases caused by the immune system attacking the self. These autoimmune diseases, unfortunately, have no cure as yet and the doctors just manage the disease by providing relief to the symptoms experienced by the patients. They are given medicines which suppress the immune system and thus not aggravate its attack on the body itself. However, this mode of treatment makes the patient vulnerable to other diseases due to a suppression of the immune system. It is saddening to see many suffering from constant pain and consuming painkillers like food which by itself causes many side effects.
The trigger to these diseases are yet to be discovered and could possibly include pollution, unhealthy food habits, a bad lifestyle, genetic predisposition, etc. What to do when the sentries turn villain? How does this transformation take place? What could reverse this situation? Much remains to be known about these autoimmune diseases till then we can only wonder – what makes them turn against us?
To read more about this topic:
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/autoimmune/index.cfm
