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Understanding the Relationship Among Asthma and Autoimmune Diseases
Is Asthma An Autoimmune Disease- The airways that transmit air to and from the lungs become inflamed when someone has asthma. Some symptoms are little breath, chest pain, coughing, and wheezing.
It’s a widespread ailment. Asthma affects 1 in 13 Americans, including adults and children, trusted Source.
While there is no known cure for asthma, managing and reducing symptoms can be achieved by avoiding triggers and using specific drugs.
Here remains what you should know about asthma, its classification as a disease, and how it affects your immune system.
Is asthma an auto-immune disease? Is Asthma An Autoimmune Disease
But, no. Not all auto-immune diseases are asthma.
When the body’s immune system perceives healthy tissues, organs, or cells as a threat, auto-immune disorders can result. When the immune system assaults different bodily organs, it can result in various symptoms, including joint pain, skin rashes, heart problems, etc.
More than 80 auto-immune illnesses have remained recognized by scientists’ Trusted Source. Examples comprise:
- lupus
- type 1 diabetes
- multiple sclerosis (MS)
- rheumatoid arthritis
So, what is asthma?
Even though an immune reaction contributes to asthma, it is not considered an auto-immune illness. Instead, because it primarily affects the lungs, it is a chronic pulmonary illness.
According to experts’ trusted Sources, chronic lung disorders may start mildly but progress over time or without treatment.
Asthma episodes can remain triggered by common factors such as smoke, cold air, pollen, etc., which cause lung inflammation and excessive mucus (also called exacerbations).
Based on factors such as the severity and what causes the ailment, there are numerous subtypes of asthma, including:
- exercise-induced asthma
- allergic asthma
- severe asthma
- occupational asthma
- seasonal asthma
Asthma vs. Autoimmune Conditions
According to researchers trusted Source, immune system irregularities cause chronic (or long-lasting) ailments like asthma and auto-immune diseases. Both trigger flare-ups of inflammation within the body. Furthermore, if untreated, auto-immune and chronic disorders can threaten life. Asthma and auto-immune diseases are now incurable. However, they are treatable, and they can experience remissions with flare-ups. The difference between both is that asthma remains brought on by the immune system’s reaction to certain stimuli.
Auto-immune conditions remain caused by the immune system’s aggressive healthy cells within the body. Beyond that, asthma touches the lungs, while auto-immune diseases usually touch many parts of the body with irritation, pain, swelling, and heat. Another critical difference remains the exact kind of helper T cells in the resistant system that the conditions involved. Auto-immune diseases result from an “exaggerated Trusted Source” response of Th1 cells. Asthma consequences from a reaction of Th2 cells.
Here’s a quick failure of their similarities and differences:
| Asthma Although there is no treatment for auto-immune illnesses, they can remain controlled with no cure, but it is treatable | Asthma Although there is no treatment for auto-immune diseases, they can remain controlled with no cure, but it is treatable |
| factors such as chilly air, allergies, and viruses induce symptoms | factors such as cold air, allergies, and viruses cause symptoms |
| Immune system attacks on healthy cells, tissues, and organs might cause specific symptoms. | Immune system attacks on healthy cells, tissues, and organs might cause specific symptoms. |
| results from immune system dysfunction involve the Th2 response, and excessive immune response derives from immune system failure | results from immune system dysfunction affect the Th2 response, and exaggerated immune response derives from immune system failure |
| Symptoms of the Th1 response, mostly felt in the lungs, can feast on other areas of the body. | Symptoms of the Th1 response, mostly felt in the lungs, can feast on other areas of the body. |
| Asthma Although there is no treatment for auto-immune illnesses, they can remain controlled with no cure, but it is treatable | Asthma Although there is no treatment for auto-immune illnesses, they can remain controlled with no cure, but it is treatable |
Can a Cooperative Immune System Make Your Asthma Worse? Is Asthma An Autoimmune Disease
Respiratory ailments can trigger attacks of asthma. You can be more prone to catching respiratory disorders like the common cold, influenza, bronchitis, or COVID-19 if your immune system is weak. In addition, frequent sickness episodes may exacerbate asthma symptoms. According to the nonprofit Asthma and Lung UK, almost 75% of people report that their asthma worsens after a respiratory illness.
Exactly why? Your body produces too much mucus while you are ill, and your airways could get irritated. Breathing becomes more difficult in this situation. Additionally, if breathing is already challenging, a flare-up of your chronic asthma may occur.
How to reduce your risks
By paying attention to your symptoms and using a preventative inhaler as directed, you can lower your risk of experiencing an asthma attack while you’re sick. If you require any additional asthma drugs, keep them handy. As you recuperate, discuss with your doctor whether adding routine nebulizer treatments or other asthma medicines would assist your respiratory issues.
Can untreated asthma weaken your immune system? Is Asthma An Autoimmune Disease
It’s possible that having asthma indicates a weakened immune system. Researchers concluded in a 2017 study that individuals with asthma frequently have weakened immune systems and might be less able to fight off the flu than other groups. Researchers examined bronchial biopsy lung samples from individuals with and without asthma. Compared to those without asthma, the lungs of asthma did not have a robust immune response to the virus.
Researchers did, however, point out that asthmatics seem to possess some protective characteristics. Despite having a higher hospitalization rate, researchers found that they have a lower risk of developing a severe illness and passing away from flu-related complications. This is because people do not have asthma. Additional studies are needed to understand precisely why this is.
What about the effect of asthma medications? Is Asthma An Autoimmune Disease
The 2017 study also implies that long-term corticosteroid drugs, such as those used to treat asthma or oral prescriptions, may gradually weaken the immune system. Therefore, asthma or the use of these drugs may be to blame for the weaker immune response to the flu. However, the advantages of using inhaled medications to treat severe asthma attacks certainly outweigh this risk. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about how your asthma is treated, how it affects your immune system, or how certain asthma medications may influence your health.
