Quote:
Originally Posted by hopeful
Does anyone know if autoimmune diseases lower our immune systems.
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Hi
Hopeful,
I don't know if any autoimmune diseases
themselves (there are many different ones) lower the immune system
per se, but as I understand it...
Quote:
Autoimmune diseases arise from an inappropriate immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the immune system mistakes some part of the body as a pathogen and attacks its own cells.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoimmune_disease
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Some medications prescribed/given for treatment of autoimmune diseases (
immunosuppressive drugs) work by
suppressing the immune system, so that it
won't attack healthy tissue, and the diseased tissue (or infection, etc.) can heal on its own, albeit more slowly than when aided by the immune system.
The result of this is that it's the
medications that lower/weaken the immune system.
This doesn't rule out the possibility that some autoimmune diseases may suppress or weaken the immune system directly.
HTH,
Doc