Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsImmune System Disorders: Primary and Secondary Immune DeficiencyOveractive Immune System ExamplesCommon Autoimmune Diseases and SymptomsAutoimmune Disease Risk FactorsDiagnostic TestsWhen to Seek Medical Attention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Immune System Disorders: Primary and Secondary Immune Deficiency
Overactive Immune System Examples
Common Autoimmune Diseases and Symptoms
Autoimmune Disease Risk Factors
Diagnostic Tests
When to Seek Medical Attention
Immune system disorders are conditions in which the immune system doesn’t work as it should. The immune system is responsible for protecting the body against viruses, bacteria, and other invaders.
There are different ways that immune system disorders can develop. Some people are born with a weak immune system, while others have an overactive immune system that reacts to substances that are normally harmless, as in some forms ofasthmaandeczema.
How Your Immune System Reacts to the Common Cold
ADAM GAULT/SPL/ Getty Images
Primary immune deficiency disorders are present at birth.They cause a weakened immune system and are often inherited. The diagnoses can be made months after birth or many years later.
People with primary immune deficiency disorders can sometimes have a weak response to vaccines and an increased risk of developing autoimmune disorders and malignancy.
Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), also called bubble boy disease, is an example of a primary immune deficiency. Children with this condition are missing important white blood cells.
An overactive immune system may react to allergens (harmless elements) like dust, mold, pollen, and foods. in these cases, your body can’t tell the difference between your healthy, normal cells and invaders.
Allergies and Asthma
An overactive immune system will react to allergens like dust, mold, pollen, and foods.
Asthma is one of the most common conditions associated with an overactive immune system. When you have asthma, an immune response in your lungs can lead to wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath.
Autoimmune Conditions
When you have an autoimmune condition, your body attacks itself because it can’t tell the difference between your healthy, normal cells and invaders.
Is Your Immune System Making Your Asthma Worse?
Autoimmune diseases cause the immune system to attack healthy cells in the body. They are chronic conditions that require ongoing treatment. They usually do not have a cure.
Type 1 Diabetes
It affects people who are genetically predisposed to the condition.It’s found in 5% to 10% of people who have any type of diabetes.
It can appear at any stage of life, but it is the most common type of diabetes in children, teens, and young adults.
Symptoms include:
Children and teenagers who have type 1 diabetes are more likely to develop other autoimmune diseases, like thyroid disorders or celiac disease.
How Hyperglycemia Is Diagnosed
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Inrheumatoid arthritis (RA), the immune system attacks healthy cells, resulting in inflammation in different parts of the body. It commonly affects joints in the hands, wrists, and knees.
RA can begin at any age, and it is more common between 45 and 60 years old. Women have a higher chance of developing the disease and experiencing more severe pain from the condition.
Risk Factors of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA)is a form of chronic inflammatory arthritis that is present in nearly 30% of people who have psoriasis.It can also affect people without psoriasis.
The disease affects the joints and skin—mainly large joints of the lower extremities, distal joints of the fingers and toes, joints in the back, and sacroiliac joints of the pelvis.
This condition often begins between ages 30 and 50 years. For many people with psoriasis, PsA starts about 10 years after psoriasis develops.
PsA can be mild with occasional flare-ups, or it can be continuous and cause joint damage if it is not treated.
The most common symptoms are:
Clinical Features of Psoriatic Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS)is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous systemthat affects the brain, optic nerves, and/or spinal cord.
This condition damages the myelin sheath, which is the material that surrounds and protects nerve cells. This damage slows down or blocks messages between the brain and body.
Although it is not inherited, people with a family history of this condition are more susceptible to the disease. The first signs of MS often appear between 20 and 40 years old. Multiple sclerosis affects women more than men.
MS symptoms often include:
An Overview of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can affect any organ in the body and encompass a wide spectrum of severity.It can cause mild symptoms, such as skin rash, or severe complications, like heart problems.
It tends to run in families, and it affects women more than men.
The most common symptoms of lupus are:
How Lupus Is Diagnosed
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)refers to a group of disorders that cause chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Two of the most common forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.Approximately 1.5 million people in the United States have either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
Frequent symptoms include:
How Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Is Diagnosed
Addison’s Disease
Addison’s disease, also known as adrenal insufficiency, affects the function of the adrenal glands, which are small hormone-producing glands located on top of each kidney.It is a rare disorder in which the body doesn’t produce enough adrenal hormones.
Addison’s disease affects 1 in 100,000 people and affects men and women equally.It runs in families, and people first notice symptoms between ages 30 and 50 years old. Diagnosis is often delayed because it is a rare disease and the symptoms are nonspecific and can come and go.
Some of the symptoms include:
Graves Disease
Graves disease is an autoimmune disorder that causeshyperthyroidism(an overactive thyroid).
With Grave’s disease, the immune system overstimulates the thyroid and causes it to make more thyroid hormone than your body needs. Excess thyroid hormones can cause a variety of problems.
Graves disease affects about 1 in 200 people. It is the leading cause of hyperthyroidism in the United States. Women have higher chances of developing the disease.
The condition can trigger many symptoms, including:
Sjögren’s Disease
Sjögren’s disease(formerly called Sjögren’s syndrome) affects the salivary and tear glands, and people with this disease will often complain about dry mouth and dry eyes. It can also affect the joints, nose, skin, and other body parts that need moisture, including the lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, digestive organs, and nerves.
Sjögren’s disease primarily affects women age 40 and older. It is estimated that between 400,000 and 3.1 million adults have Sjögren’s disease.It is sometimes linked to RA and lupus.
Hashimoto’s Disease
Hashimoto’s diseaseis a type of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and is at least eight times more common in women than men.With this condition, the immune system attacks the thyroid, damaging it so it can’t make enough thyroid hormones.
Hashimoto’s disease is common and affects about five people in 100 in the United States.It commonly appears between ages 30 to 50 and tends to run in families. People with other autoimmune diseases are also more likely to have this condition.
Causes and Risk Factors of Hashimoto’s Disease
Celiac Disease
Celiac diseaseis an autoimmune disorder in which the ingestion of gluten triggers the immune system to damage the small intestines.It often impairs nutrient absorption.
The condition is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide.Celiac disease runs in families, and people who have a first-degree relative with celiac disease (parent, child, sibling) have a one-in-10 risk of developing this condition. It can develop at any age.
Frequent symptoms are:
How Celiac Disease Is Diagnosed
Many factors can increase the risk of autoimmune disease: heredity, genetics, and environmental triggers. The conditions are prevalent in women and researchers don’t have a consensus to explain why women are more vulnerable.
Why Autoimmune Diseases Affect More Women Than Men
Diagnosis of immune-related problems can be tricky. In some cases, symptoms might be subtle, and they may wax and wane with time. Some immune-related problems also have similar, overlapping symptoms.
For many immune-related problems, there isn’t one single test that can prove that you have the condition.Instead, your clinician pulls together the clinical picture from your symptoms, your medical history, your exam, and related tests. Sometimes these diseases can only be diagnosed after ruling out other potential causes.
The tests needed will depend upon your symptoms and your overall medical picture. Some potential tests might include:
If autoimmune disease is suspected, your healthcare provider might recommend tests for antibodies your body has made against itself. For example, your healthcare provider might recommend arheumatoid factor testif your symptoms indicate you might have rheumatoid arthritis. But this test is sometimes positive in other autoimmune conditions as well.
One initial screening test isantinuclear antibody (ANA), which may be positive in several different autoimmune conditions.
If that is positive, your clinician might recommend additional antibody tests, depending on the clinical picture. Depending on the context, you might need imaging tests or other assessments, like X-rays, biopsies (taking samples of tissue for testing in a lab), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Autoimmune disease diagnosis can be tricky. It is vital to pay attention to your body and any new symptoms, even if they are not permanent or seem harmless, like a skin rash.
If something seems off in your body, trust your instincts and get it checked out. If you have new symptoms, like increased fatigue and joint pain, don’t hesitate to get an assessment. You are the person who knows your body best.
Keeping Track of SymptomsParticularly for symptoms that change over time, it can be helpful to keep a record you can share with your clinician. Pictures of the affected area can also give your healthcare provider a better sense of how you have been doing.
Keeping Track of Symptoms
Particularly for symptoms that change over time, it can be helpful to keep a record you can share with your clinician. Pictures of the affected area can also give your healthcare provider a better sense of how you have been doing.
For symptoms that might indicate an infection, like fever, see a healthcare provider promptly. For any life-threatening symptoms, like sudden difficulty breathing, call 911.
A Word From Verywell
The journey to a diagnosis of autoimmune disease can be long and stressful. The symptoms of autoimmune diseases are often nonspecific and episodic. It is important for you to tell your healthcare provider about any new symptoms you are experiencing.
Although the conditions can’t be cured, there are medications that can help alleviate symptoms and slow the progression of autoimmune diseases. Early treatment generally leads to better outcomes.
26 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fairweather D, Rose NR.Women and autoimmune diseases.Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 Nov;10(11):2005-11. doi:10.3201/eid1011.040367Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.Genetics and immune disorders.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Primary immune deficiency diseases (PIDDs).Cooper MA, Pommering T, Korányi K.Primary immunodeficiencies.Am Fam Physician; 68(10).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Disorders of the immune system.HIV.gov.What are HIV and AIDS?Cleveland Clinic.Is your immune system working overtime?Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California, San Francisco.What causes autoimmune diabetes?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 1 diabetes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.Chimenti MS, Caso F, Alivernini S, et al.Amplifying the concept of psoriatic arthritis: The role of autoimmunity in systemic psoriatic disease.Autoimmun Rev. 2019;18(6):565-575. doi:10.1016/j.autrev.2018.11.007Wootla B, Eriguchi M, Rodriguez M.Is multiple sclerosis an autoimmune disease?Autoimmune Dis. 2012;2012. doi:10.1155/2012/969657MedlinePlus.Multiple sclerosis.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Multiple sclerosis.García-Carrasco M, Pinto CM, Poblano JCS, Morales IE, Cervera R, Anaya J-M.Systemic lupus erythematosus. El Rosario University Press. Bookshelf ID: NBK459474Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Cleveland Clinic.Inflammatory bowel disease (overview).MedlinePlus.Autoimmune Addison disease.Cleveland Clinic.Addison’s disease.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Graves' disease.American College of Rheumatology.Sjögren’s syndrome.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hashimoto’s disease.Cleveland Clinic.Hashimoto’s disease.Celiac Canada.Atypical symptoms of celiac disease.Celiac Disease Foundation.What is celiac disease?Ali Y.Rheumatologic tests: A primer for family physicians.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(3):164-170.Additional ReadingAmerican Diabetes Association.Statistics about diabetes.Angum F, Khan T, Kaler J, Siddiqui L, Hussain A.The prevalence of autoimmune disorders in women: a narrative review.Cureus. 12(5). doi:10.7759/cureus.8094MedlinePlus.Sjogren’s syndrome.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Disorders of the immune system.Ngo ST, Steyn FJ, McCombe PA.Gender differences in autoimmune disease.Front Neuroendocrinol. 2014;35(3):347-369. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.04.004
26 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fairweather D, Rose NR.Women and autoimmune diseases.Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 Nov;10(11):2005-11. doi:10.3201/eid1011.040367Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.Genetics and immune disorders.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Primary immune deficiency diseases (PIDDs).Cooper MA, Pommering T, Korányi K.Primary immunodeficiencies.Am Fam Physician; 68(10).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Disorders of the immune system.HIV.gov.What are HIV and AIDS?Cleveland Clinic.Is your immune system working overtime?Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California, San Francisco.What causes autoimmune diabetes?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 1 diabetes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.Chimenti MS, Caso F, Alivernini S, et al.Amplifying the concept of psoriatic arthritis: The role of autoimmunity in systemic psoriatic disease.Autoimmun Rev. 2019;18(6):565-575. doi:10.1016/j.autrev.2018.11.007Wootla B, Eriguchi M, Rodriguez M.Is multiple sclerosis an autoimmune disease?Autoimmune Dis. 2012;2012. doi:10.1155/2012/969657MedlinePlus.Multiple sclerosis.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Multiple sclerosis.García-Carrasco M, Pinto CM, Poblano JCS, Morales IE, Cervera R, Anaya J-M.Systemic lupus erythematosus. El Rosario University Press. Bookshelf ID: NBK459474Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Cleveland Clinic.Inflammatory bowel disease (overview).MedlinePlus.Autoimmune Addison disease.Cleveland Clinic.Addison’s disease.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Graves' disease.American College of Rheumatology.Sjögren’s syndrome.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hashimoto’s disease.Cleveland Clinic.Hashimoto’s disease.Celiac Canada.Atypical symptoms of celiac disease.Celiac Disease Foundation.What is celiac disease?Ali Y.Rheumatologic tests: A primer for family physicians.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(3):164-170.Additional ReadingAmerican Diabetes Association.Statistics about diabetes.Angum F, Khan T, Kaler J, Siddiqui L, Hussain A.The prevalence of autoimmune disorders in women: a narrative review.Cureus. 12(5). doi:10.7759/cureus.8094MedlinePlus.Sjogren’s syndrome.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Disorders of the immune system.Ngo ST, Steyn FJ, McCombe PA.Gender differences in autoimmune disease.Front Neuroendocrinol. 2014;35(3):347-369. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.04.004
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Fairweather D, Rose NR.Women and autoimmune diseases.Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 Nov;10(11):2005-11. doi:10.3201/eid1011.040367Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.Genetics and immune disorders.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Primary immune deficiency diseases (PIDDs).Cooper MA, Pommering T, Korányi K.Primary immunodeficiencies.Am Fam Physician; 68(10).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Disorders of the immune system.HIV.gov.What are HIV and AIDS?Cleveland Clinic.Is your immune system working overtime?Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California, San Francisco.What causes autoimmune diabetes?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 1 diabetes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.Chimenti MS, Caso F, Alivernini S, et al.Amplifying the concept of psoriatic arthritis: The role of autoimmunity in systemic psoriatic disease.Autoimmun Rev. 2019;18(6):565-575. doi:10.1016/j.autrev.2018.11.007Wootla B, Eriguchi M, Rodriguez M.Is multiple sclerosis an autoimmune disease?Autoimmune Dis. 2012;2012. doi:10.1155/2012/969657MedlinePlus.Multiple sclerosis.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Multiple sclerosis.García-Carrasco M, Pinto CM, Poblano JCS, Morales IE, Cervera R, Anaya J-M.Systemic lupus erythematosus. El Rosario University Press. Bookshelf ID: NBK459474Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Cleveland Clinic.Inflammatory bowel disease (overview).MedlinePlus.Autoimmune Addison disease.Cleveland Clinic.Addison’s disease.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Graves' disease.American College of Rheumatology.Sjögren’s syndrome.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hashimoto’s disease.Cleveland Clinic.Hashimoto’s disease.Celiac Canada.Atypical symptoms of celiac disease.Celiac Disease Foundation.What is celiac disease?Ali Y.Rheumatologic tests: A primer for family physicians.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(3):164-170.
Fairweather D, Rose NR.Women and autoimmune diseases.Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 Nov;10(11):2005-11. doi:10.3201/eid1011.040367
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.Genetics and immune disorders.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Primary immune deficiency diseases (PIDDs).
Cooper MA, Pommering T, Korányi K.Primary immunodeficiencies.Am Fam Physician; 68(10).
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Disorders of the immune system.
HIV.gov.What are HIV and AIDS?
Cleveland Clinic.Is your immune system working overtime?
Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California, San Francisco.What causes autoimmune diabetes?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 1 diabetes.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.
Chimenti MS, Caso F, Alivernini S, et al.Amplifying the concept of psoriatic arthritis: The role of autoimmunity in systemic psoriatic disease.Autoimmun Rev. 2019;18(6):565-575. doi:10.1016/j.autrev.2018.11.007
Wootla B, Eriguchi M, Rodriguez M.Is multiple sclerosis an autoimmune disease?Autoimmune Dis. 2012;2012. doi:10.1155/2012/969657
MedlinePlus.Multiple sclerosis.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Multiple sclerosis.
García-Carrasco M, Pinto CM, Poblano JCS, Morales IE, Cervera R, Anaya J-M.Systemic lupus erythematosus. El Rosario University Press. Bookshelf ID: NBK459474
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Cleveland Clinic.Inflammatory bowel disease (overview).
MedlinePlus.Autoimmune Addison disease.
Cleveland Clinic.Addison’s disease.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Graves' disease.
American College of Rheumatology.Sjögren’s syndrome.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hashimoto’s disease.
Cleveland Clinic.Hashimoto’s disease.
Celiac Canada.Atypical symptoms of celiac disease.
Celiac Disease Foundation.What is celiac disease?
Ali Y.Rheumatologic tests: A primer for family physicians.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(3):164-170.
American Diabetes Association.Statistics about diabetes.Angum F, Khan T, Kaler J, Siddiqui L, Hussain A.The prevalence of autoimmune disorders in women: a narrative review.Cureus. 12(5). doi:10.7759/cureus.8094MedlinePlus.Sjogren’s syndrome.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Disorders of the immune system.Ngo ST, Steyn FJ, McCombe PA.Gender differences in autoimmune disease.Front Neuroendocrinol. 2014;35(3):347-369. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.04.004
American Diabetes Association.Statistics about diabetes.
Angum F, Khan T, Kaler J, Siddiqui L, Hussain A.The prevalence of autoimmune disorders in women: a narrative review.Cureus. 12(5). doi:10.7759/cureus.8094
MedlinePlus.Sjogren’s syndrome.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Disorders of the immune system.
Ngo ST, Steyn FJ, McCombe PA.Gender differences in autoimmune disease.Front Neuroendocrinol. 2014;35(3):347-369. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.04.004
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