How to Treat Autoimmune Disorders

Autoimmunity is the failure of an organism to recognize its own parts as self, which results in an immune response against its own cells and tissues. Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis are examples. This article will educate you on the three main treatments available.

Instructions

• 1

  Consider immunosuppression which is the most common treatment of autoimmunity. The treatment involves an act that reduces the activation of the immune system. Some parts of the immune system naturally have immuno-suppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, therefore immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other conditions. Deliberately inducing immunosuppression is also commonly done to prevent the body from rejecting an organ transplant and treating GVHD (graft versus host disease) after bone marrow transplant.

• 2

  Know about anti-inflammatory treatments. These treatments refer to the properties of a substance that reduce inflammation. For example, the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis is primarily caused by the inflammation in the affected joints.

• 3

  Know that palliative care is available. Palliative care is the form of medical treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, instead of halting or delaying progression of the disease itself or providing a cure. The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing serious or complex illness.