Name of study: One autoimmune disorder could lead to another By who and where: University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, USA
What does it say?
* Those suffering from an autoimmune disorder,
especially rheumatoid arthritis, have a greater chance of developing another autoimmune disorder.
* During research conducted on mice, antibody-induced rheumatoid arthritis in joints was found. Later, the mice developed spinal lesions similar to those in axial spondyloarthritis. These same anti-collagen antibodies are also present in humans with arthritis.
* A drastic change in one’s environment, genetics, and poor lifestyle are the main causes for an increase in cases of autoimmune disorders.
For
One leads to another
Dr Sagar Bhattad Consultant,
Paediatric Immunology and Rheumatology, Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru
About one in four patients with an autoimmune disease can develop another one. These may show up any time. When three or more autoimmune diseases coexist, the condition is called multiple autoimmune syndrome (MAS). As per studies, autoimmune thyroid disease followed by systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren syndrome were the most common autoimmune diseases noted in patients with polyautoimmunity. The co-existence of autoimmune diseases is not uncommon and follows a grouping pattern.
Against
Likelihood improbable
Dr Abhishek Patil Consultant, Rheumatology, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru
It is farfetched to assume that having rheumatoid arthritis predisposes an individual to other autoimmune diseases. In arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, mouse models are used to test new drugs and to understand the disease mechanisms. However, no single mouse model can reflect its human disease in totality. While it’s true that many of the genetic risk factors are shared between different autoimmune diseases, in clinical practice, it’s not common to find a difference in disease occurring in the same individual.