Autoimmune disorders such as lupus, systemic lupus erthematosus, reactive arthritis, Behcet’s disease, cyclic luparitis, psoriasis, and dermatitis are very common, chronic conditions which cause skin manifestations such as rash, itching, inflammation, hardening, scaling, oozing, and bleeding. The skin may also be discolored by thickened skin and red, flaky patches. Oftentimes, the disease causes no pain or only minimal irritation. At times, people with autoimmune skin disease develop open wounds, sores, and ulcers.
Common Symptoms
Table of Contents
Common symptoms include redness, swelling, itching, boils, swelling, joint inflammation, and skin hardening. Many of these symptoms are similar to those experienced by patients with systemic luparitis, leukaemia, and lymphomas. Patients with autoimmune skin disease, however, should see their dermatologist if these symptoms do not disappear with conventional medical treatments. If the disease is diagnosed in its early stages, most patients can use medical and non-medical treatments to control their condition. However, if the disease progresses, serious damage to the skin may result from treatments without the benefit of systemic therapy.
NSAIDs cause side effects
Systemic luparodensitizing drugs, popularly known as NSAIDs, have been prescribed to control many different types of autoimmune skin conditions. Although they reduce inflammation, they also cause many different types of symptoms, which may vary depending on which drug is taken and how often it is taken. Common NSAIDs include; ibuprofen, naproxen, indomethacin, sulindacin, diclofenac, diflunisal, ketoprofen, nubainin, oxaprozin, and nabumetone.
Probiotics and anti-inflammatory diet treatments are commonly used to treat autoimmune skin diseases. Probiotics are generally used to treat digestive disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. These drugs do not always work as well as the manufacturers claimed, however. Many of the gastrointestinal side effects that probiotics are known to cause, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and constipation, can also be caused by the anti-inflammatory diet treatments used to treat these gastrointestinal disorders.
Autoimmune Blistering disease
Another group of diseases commonly treated with systemic medications are autoimmune blistering diseases. These conditions appear to be caused by allergic reactions to proteins in the body, rather than infections. This group of diseases includes juvenile-onset seborrhea dermatitis (JOD) and sebaceous polyps. In addition to these two rare diseases, many more autoimmune blistering diseases including xerosis, stasis ulcers, and keratosis pilaris exist.
Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a rare disease that affects almost 2% of the population. It results from the abnormal accumulation of fatty deposits in the soft tissues of the body. The cause of this condition is unknown, although genetic and environmental factors are believed to play important roles. Common symptoms of scleroderma include smooth and hard lumps under the skin surface as well as widespread pain and redness in the affected areas. Systemic medications such as prednisone and cortisone are typically used to treat scleroderma, as well as oral anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Systemic medications and oral medications for treatment of autoimmune skin disease generally cause several side effects. They can include fatigue, loss of appetite, dizziness, constipation, nausea, skin rashes, difficulty breathing, and swelling of the joints. These symptoms can increase when you are undergoing treatments to fight against systemic lupus erythrophies.
There is no known cure for scleroderma, but it can be managed with lifestyle changes and antibiotic treatments. Corticosteroids, which are used to treat other forms of skin disease such as psoriasis, are also used to treat psoriasis affects in people with scleroderma. Psoriasis usually appears on the skin’s outermost layer and is characterized by small, red scaly patches. It is not contagious, but people with the condition have a greater chance of developing it than those who do not have it. It affects about two million Americans alone.
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a type of autoimmune disease affects the blood vessels. Systemic lupus erythematosus usually affects the lungs, heart and the bones, leading to painful inflammation and sometimes heart failure. Symptoms normally appear during the time of inflammation and can be mild or severe. Systemic lupus erythematosus usually appears after a person experiences a past exposure to infectious agents such as viruses, fungi or bacteria. Other causes of systemic lupus erythematosus include genetics, pregnancy, genetic conditions affecting the immune system, trauma, drug use and exposure to certain chemicals.
Systemic lupus erythematosus and dermatomyositis are different diseases that often occur together, especially in patients with severe or long-standing diseases. In addition, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and dermatomyositis also commonly experience joint inflammation, swelling, redness, and pain. Patients with pemphigoid and hiatal hernia are also prone to both conditions.
Act immediately
It is important to treat these forms of autoimmune skin conditions promptly because the complications from untreated illness can be devastating. These conditions can cause rashes, pain, inflammation, loss of appetite, dizziness, fever, poor healing, and even blindness. The good news is that some patients with autoimmune disorders can easily recover from their condition with the right treatment program. Doctors prescribe several different types of medications to treat these conditions, including antibiotics, immunomodulators, and in certain cases, patients may need to take a form of immunoadsorption therapy, which prevents the body from creating the antibodies needed to fight the disease.
