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Types of Autoimmune Diseases

Because there are more than 80 autoimmune disease types, doctors usually categorize them into groups by the body systems they attack. The body systems that autoimmune diseases can affect include but are not limited to blood and blood vessels, the digestive tract, eyes, skin, and glands.

Types of Autoimmune Diseases: An Introduction

There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases, which are also known as autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune diseases can affect almost any organ or body system. In many people with autoimmune disease, the first symptoms are fatigue, muscle aches, and low fever.
 

Autoimmune Disease Types and What They Affect

One way to group autoimmune diseases is by the body systems they attack. These affected systems include:
 
  • Blood and blood vessels
  • Digestive tract (including the mouth)
  • Eyes
  • Glands
  • Heart
  • Joints
  • Kidneys
  • Lungs
  • Muscles
  • Nerves and brain
  • Skin.
 
Blood and Blood Vessels
Autoimmune diseases that affect blood and blood vessels include:
 
  • Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
  • Pernicious anemia
  • Polyarteritis nodosa
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Wegener's granulomatosis.
 
Digestive Tract
Types of autoimmune diseases that affect the digestive tract (including the mouth) are:
 

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(Types of Autoimmune Diseases Continued: Page 2)
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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