What is an Autoimmune Disease?

I have had some issues with my health lately and one of the main questions I've been asked is "do you think this is related to your Celiac?" Therefore, I want to talk about autoimmune disorders because many people think that Celiac Disease is just an "allergy" to gluten, not a disease...? Nobody realizes that this is an autoimmune deficiency .... this means that my body is open to any sickness/new disease at any point in time. 

An autoimmune disease is when you're body attacks healthy cells, tissues, and organs which weakens the bodily functions and can potentially be life-threatening. There are over 100 autoimmune diseases, including Celiac Disease. Most of these 100+ autoimmune diseases have no cure or requires lifelong treatment to reduce symptoms of the disease (ex. type 1 diabetes). A healthy immune system produces antibodies that destroys harmful substances in your body. An autoimmune disorder cannot tell the difference between healthy tissue and harmful agents. Scientists do not know what causes/triggers these diseases, similarly to Celiac. 

Since I have an autoimmune disease, I get sick faster and easier than someone with a healthy immune system. I am also more likely to develop another autoimmune disease, specifically, a 25% chance. This is called "Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome (MAS)." This syndrome is most likely in people with inflammatory bowel disease. Celiac is considered type 3 Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome, meaning that someone who already has MAS is more likely to develop Celiac and vice versa. 78% of people affected by autoimmune diseases are women because of hormonal changes, reproductive function, environmental changes, etc. Some autoimmune diseases are genetically passed down, others are not. Celiac comes in clusters but is triggered by environmental changes so there is no way to tell who will develop the disease.  

Celiac disease is not just an "allergy to gluten," as people love to say... (it's a disease). This disease affects my whole body. Autoimmune diseases affect my whole body. I am constantly in a battle with my own body and my own immune system. This disease and every autoimmune disease needs to be taken more seriously. Every time I am cross-contaminated I am slowly killing my body. Nobody wants to feel like this so please spread this blog to help me educate more people on this disease. I am going to speak more about this topic but I wanted to clear some questions that I've been asked. 

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