5 rare autoimmune diseases: How do they affect your health?

• Autoimmune diseases affect nearly 50 million Americans each year. 
• Some can be debilitating and even fatal. 
• Learn about 5 rare autoimmune diseases.

How do these rare autoimmune diseases affect your health? Although autoimmune diseases are considered rare, the National Institutes of Health estimates that this type of ailment affects between 5% and 8% of the population, which includes both children and adults and the elderly.

Approximately 100 autoimmune diseases have been found to affect approximately 50 million Americans per year. Some have no cure and their symptoms vary from patient to patient. Learn about five rare autoimmune diseases!

5. Rare autoimmune diseases: Churg-Strauss syndrome

Churg-Strauss syndrome is one of the rarest autoimmune diseases in the world. It is also known as eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) and mainly affects the blood vessels, producing inflammation in the organs that can be fatal. People with Churg-Strauss syndrome have an abnormal inflammatory response in the white blood cells, causing tissue inflammation in organs such as the kidneys, lungs, and nervous system.

Among the most common symptoms of this autoimmune disease are asthma, involuntary weight loss, recurrent muscle and joint pain, chronic sinusitis, neuropathy, fever, and respiratory distress. Early diagnosis will help improve quality of life and significantly reduce the risk of serious and life-threatening effects.

4. Kawasaki disease

Another of the rarest autoimmune diseases is Kawasaki disease, a condition that more frequently occurs in children under five years of age, causing inflammation of the blood vessels. One of the main dangers of this condition is that the inflammation also affects the coronary arteries that carry blood to the heart, which greatly increases the risk of coronary aneurysms.

The most frequent symptoms of Kawasaki disease are: recurrent fever that does not subside for at least five days, rashes on the torso, arms and legs, conjunctivitis, swelling in the extremities and swollen glands. So far, there is no cure for Kawasaki disease, but treatment is key to preventing clot formation and improving quality of life.

3. POEMS syndrome

One of the rarest autoimmune diseases is called POEMS syndrome. The acronym refers to the main characteristics of the condition — polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes. The first of these refers to severe damage to peripheral nerves, causing weakness, a tingling sensation, and difficulty moving muscles.

Other symptoms include abnormal enlargement of organs such as the liver, spleen, or lymph nodes. Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or the appearance of abnormal hormone levels is also common. In some cases, sufferers experience changes such as hyperpigmentation, thickening of the skin, and hair loss.

2. Rare autoimmune diseases: Uveitis

Uveitis is a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the uvea in the eye. It contains the iris, ciliary body, and choroid, which perform functions such as focus of gaze and blood supply to the retina. Uveitis can appear at any age and affect children, adults and the elderly.

Uveitis has a variety of causes, including infection, injury, or medical complications, and causes symptoms such as eye redness, extreme sensitivity to sunlight, eye pain, blurred vision, tearing, and a foreign object sensation in one or both eyes.

1. Susac syndrome

Susac syndrome was first discovered in 1979 by Dr. John Susac. The disease affects the blood vessels, specifically in the brain, ears, and eyes. When there is decreased blood flow, tissue damage occurs, resulting in symptoms such as encephalopathy, hearing loss and visual disturbances.

Other symptoms are encephalopathy, which in turn causes damage such as cognitive difficulties, personality changes, seizures and migraines; it is also common notice hearing loss, tinnitus, and disturbances in vision, lungs, kidneys, and the musculoskeletal system.