Why does it feel like everyone has an autoimmune disease?

Autoimmune diseases are rising worldwide, and it’s not purely explained by genetics. Autoimmune diseases are rising worldwide, and it’s not solely explained by genetics. Autoimmune diseases are conditions that occur when the immune system attacks the body.

There are more than 100 conditions considered autoimmune, including better-known ones such as rheumatoid arthritis , lupus and multiple sclerosis, as well as the lesser-known ones such as scleroderma and autoimmune hepatitis. In the United States, 20% of 1 in 5 Americans has an autoimmune condition. [According to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, they affect around 5% of people and are one of the most significant chronic health problems in Australia and New Zealand.

] They affect women more than men, and they often run in families, though genetics is just one risk factor for these diseases. Autoimmune conditions are increasing in a way that isn’t accounted for by our genes alone - for instance, between 1950 and 2000, the incidence rates of Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Type I diabetes rose by 300% or more..