Autoimmune Diseases On The

Rheumatologist, Dr Rutendo Rukarwa of RheumaMed Clinic, concludes discussion on all things autoimmune diseases, a group of disorders in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and damages its own tissues.

The role of family support cannot be over emphasized when it comes to patients with autoimmune conditions. Research shows that social relationships are critical for good health and family should find out about a loved ones condition as much a feasible. Things like a specific diet the patient has to have and go on the same diet if possible as a family. They should help and be available at times when the disease renders the patient not able to carry out chores or other duties. Assistance with the taking medication especially in the elderly patients is crucial to ensure correct times as well as dosages are take. Where possible, family should accompany them to doctors’ visits and educated themselves about the condition as well. It is also important that family provided emotional support including validating their experience, as many autoimmune symptoms can be invincible to an outsider, such a fatigue, but their impact is real to the patient. At times there may be need for financial support, to seek medical care and treatment, and possibly due to lack or loss of employment as a result of the condition. So family and social support play a pivotal role in the overall wellbeing of patients facing these at times debilitating conditions.

Have you encountered any common misconceptions about autoimmune diseases among your patients, can you share and rectify some of those?

There are a lot of misconceptions with regards to autoimmune conditions among patients as well as the general public. These include the following:

• Autoimmune diseases are rare - so contrary to popular belief, these disease are common and constitute a significant burden to health care worldwide. This misconception stems mainly from their diversity but collectively their prevalence is large.

• Autoimmune diseases are contagious – there is a difference between autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases that can be spread from one person to the other via bacteria, viruses, yeast and parasites.

• Autoimmune diseases only affect older individuals - this is far from the truth as these diseases are not selective and can affect individuals regardless of age, including children and teenagers. More than 20% are diagnosed in patients in their formative year.

• Autoimmune conditions can be cured - these conditions are generally considered chronic illnesses meaning they are long- lasting and often life-long. They cannot be cured, but can be managed appropriately to reduce the impact of the conditions with the target of reaching disease remission and maintaining it with appropriate treatment.

• Autoimmune conditions can be prevented – these conditions tend to run in families and the exact cause of many of them remains unknown with various risk factors discussed above. However there are things that one can do to try reduce chances of getting an autoimmune disease, such as not smoking, exercise and a healthy lifestyle, eating well and regular medical checkups.

• Autoimmune disease only affect specific organs – these conditions can affect more than one organ in the body and an example is though the commonest symptoms are joint pains and swelling in Rheumatoid Arthritis, it is a multi-systemic disease affecting other organs such as the eyes, lungs, heart and skin. • Autoimmune diseases only affect women- despite the greater number of women affected by these conditions, men are not immune and in some cases the illnesses are more common in men.

What do you consider the biggest challenges in diagnosing and treating autoimmune diseases?

The biggest challenge in the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune conditions is the complexity and heterogenicity of these conditions and how they present differently from patient to patients with the disease. Most patients may present in ways that required trained specialists in the various fields to be able to identify, diagnose and treat the patients appropriately. Late presentation and late referral for specialist care also remains a challenge, and for some conditions this can lead to irreversible damage occurring.

What can families do to support their loved ones living with these conditions?