What is Autoimmunity?

Autoimmune conditions happen when your immune system, usually responsible for protecting you from illness, gets a bit mixed up and start to react against your own healthy tissues. This can cause inflammation and discomfort, can last a long time, and can need ongoing care.

Your immune system is complex with many parts working together. In autoimmunity, some parts become overactive and mistakenly target your own body. This can happen for a mix of reasons like genetics, infections, stress, or even past injuries.

What are Risk Factors for developing an Autoimmune Condition?

Autoimmune conditions affect millions of people worldwide, and while we can’t always predict or prevent them, we can understand more about what puts us at risk, and how to increase our quality of life when we live with it.

Biological Sex

Women are more likely to develop autoimmune conditions.

Genetics

Having a family history of autoimmunity increases your risk by predisposing you to the development of the condition.

Environmental Exposures

Some environmental factors can activate or deactivate genes, and not everyone who is predisposed to autoimmunity will develop the condition.

Ethnicity

Certain conditions are more common in specific groups.

What Factors could influence developing an Autoimmune Condition?

While there’s no cure for most autoimmune conditions, there are treatments available that help you manage your symptoms to improve your daily life. Treatments that can calm inflammation, balance your immune response, and ease symptoms like pain, fatigue and stiffness.

Stress

Chronic stress is a known trigger for flares and possible onset.

Diet and Gut Health

An imbalance in gut bacteria may increase risk.

Vitamin D Levels

Low Vitamin D is linked to several autoimmune conditions.

Smoking

Smoking is strongly associated with increased risk in many autoimmune conditions.

Sleep Quality

Poor sleep can worsen inflammation and your body’s immune function.

Movement

Staying active supports immune regulation.

Toxins

Repeated exposure to certain chemicals may play a role.

Infections

There may be a link with some viral infections and the onset of autoimmunity.

How is an Autoimmune Condition diagnosed?

Getting a diagnosis for an autoimmune condition can feel overwhelming – but understanding the process can help you feel more in control and informed. There is no single test that covers all autoimmune conditions.

Instead, diagnosis often involves a combination of taking your health history, discussing your symptoms, doing a physical exam, and ordering some lab tests. It may take time and more than one specialist to get answers.

Your doctor will consider the full picture – your symptoms, test results, and how you’re feeling over time – to make a diagnosis.

Common Blood (Lab) Tests

Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA)

The primary reason for an ANA test is to help identify autoimmune conditions, where the immune system attacks the body’s own cells.

Rheumatoid Factor (RF)

Used in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, although some people with RA never develop a positive RF.

Anti-CCP (Anti-cyclic Citrullinated Peptide)

A more specific test for RA, which may or may not be positive.

ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate) and CRP (C-Reactive Protein)

Measures general inflammation in the body and is not specific to one diagnosis.

Thyroid Antibodies

Used when autoimmune thyroid conditions are suspected.

Anti-dsDNA and Anti-Smith Antibodies

More specific for Lupus.

HLA-B27

Associated with conditions like Ankylosing Spondylitis.

ANCA

Used to detect certain types of vasculitis.

Other Tests

Imaging (X-rays, MRIs, Ultrasounds)

To look for inflammation or damage in joints or organs.

Biopsies

Sometimes a small sample of tissue is taken (e.g. from skin or kidneys) to confirm a diagnosis.

Urine sample

To check kidney function or detect protein or blood in urine – especially in Lupus.

Fecal/stool sample

A fecal calprotectin test which measures a protein released during intestinal inflammation.

Diagnosis

You’re on your own journey – there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’.

How you manage your condition is important, so are the factors that can put you into a flare. It takes time and patience to track your progress and communicate with your healthcare professionals. Don’t give up – remission can be within reach.

Information Gathering

Getting a diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but understanding the process can help you feel more in control. There is no single test that covers all autoimmune conditions. Do your own research, but start with a trusted source. For in-depth condition-specific information, explore disease-specific national organisations, as these sites offer Medically Reviewed guidance, Tools and Updates to help understand your condition and treatment options. For a comprehensive list of Autoimmune Conditions, visit Global Autoimmune Institute.

Diagnosis: Just the Start

While early and accurate diagnosis is important, so too are ongoing reassessments and monitoring. These are important to allow for timely adjustments in medication based on your body’s response. See our My Numbers Monitoring Tool to keep track of tests and symptoms, and also to note any changes to existing symptoms you may feel. It’s important to build a picture of your symptoms over time, to reflect any patterns, which can be very useful to your medical team.

Remission

It’s important to understand remission isn’t a ‘cure’. You can be in remission while on medication, and is when no symptoms or signs of inflammation show up in your tests or physically. Remission is now recognised by experts around the world as an achievable goal, and can be what you strive for, but is easier to achieve by tracking your tests and symptoms, being reassessed regularly, and communicating effectively with your doctor to know if your meds are working for you.

Start Your Journey

The precise label given to your condition doesn't matter to us, because we 'get it'. We're on the same journey and understand the highs and lows of managing an Autoimmune Condition.

While information is the foundation of understanding your condition and staying on top of available treatment options, it doesn’t end there. Your journey isn’t just a medical one – it’s personal. Getting compassionate support while you navigate this journey is important, so being part of a community who understand and empathise can be invaluable in keeping your spirits up, and your mental health in check. Lifestyle changes and mindfulness also play a role in how your body may respond to treatment. We’re a community with shared lived-experience, so you don’t have to do this alone.

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Resource Library

Browse our Resource Library to find interesting articles, past Dragon Talks sessions, Member Stories, Expert Guest Speakers, and more. Use the Search feature to find information useful to you. Have something to share? Reach out to us to be a speaker or to share your story. Help us give our Autoimmune Community a voice and sharing information is the best way you can do this.

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What is Autoimmunity?