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Do you have a condition that causes immune system dysfunction? (e.g. deficiency, autoimmunity)
yes (medically confirmed) 30%  30%  [ 6 ]
no (medically confirmed) 10%  10%  [ 2 ]
no (not medically confirmed - i.e. no symptoms - no need to test) 40%  40%  [ 8 ]
maybe (have symptoms but not tested) 20%  20%  [ 4 ]
not sure. I just take the meds they tell me to. 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 20

TinyDancer
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20 May 2013, 3:05 pm

I have a condition that screws with my immune system. I read that immune system dysfunction is extremely common in people with Autism. I'm wondering if other people know more about this scientifically or have personal experience with it.
I just recently learned about this with myself so I'm interested in other conditions that cause immune system dysfunction and different symptoms for different kinds of immune system dysfunction.



btbnnyr
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20 May 2013, 3:15 pm

I have an autoimmune disorder called Behcet's Disease.
It causes recurrent and severe eye inflammation.
I have had two eye attacks so far.
Good thing that there are prednisone eyedrops to treat the inflammation.
I am lucky not to have a lot of the other symptoms.


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Thelibrarian
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20 May 2013, 3:31 pm

I most definitely experience auto-immune issues; I physicallyfeel like death warmed over at least ninety percent of the time. My symptoms include terrible allergies, eye problems, and lately digestive problems, as well as less severe joint issues. It also seems that there is a link between my AS and my auto-immune issues. When my physical symptoms are at their worst, so is my AS. Try telling this to a doctor though.....



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20 May 2013, 4:07 pm

My immune system is fine... I've been tested for allergies and celiac disease, both of which run in my family. I have neither. And on the other end of the spectrum, it does a decent job of responding to the usual minor colds, which I don't get very often.


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20 May 2013, 6:44 pm

Rather peculiar... I seem to have a stronger than normal immune system... I get illnesses far less often than people I know. I have around 2 minor illnesses a year. 8O. Despite frequent and intense regular headaches... no other common ailments.


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20 May 2013, 7:09 pm

Yeah - Hashimoto's thyroiditis.



TinyDancer
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20 May 2013, 7:22 pm

PerfectlyDarkTails wrote:
Rather peculiar... I seem to have a stronger than normal immune system... I get illnesses far less often than people I know. I have around 2 minor illnesses a year. 8O. Despite frequent and intense regular headaches... no other common ailments.


Headaches are inflammation. Inflammation is an immune response.
Autoimmune diseases involve overactivity of the immune system. The body starts to "attack itself," being in super-defense mode.
I've read that people with autoimmune diseases can rarely get bacterial or common viral infections because their immune system is a beast. Its fighting off all the bad stuff...but its also sometimes trying to fight off you!



btbnnyr
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20 May 2013, 8:34 pm

My immune system is verry merry berry good for aliens, but it sometimes attacks me too.


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cathylynn
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20 May 2013, 8:53 pm

TinyDancer wrote:
PerfectlyDarkTails wrote:
Rather peculiar... I seem to have a stronger than normal immune system... I get illnesses far less often than people I know. I have around 2 minor illnesses a year. 8O. Despite frequent and intense regular headaches... no other common ailments.


Headaches are inflammation. Inflammation is an immune response.
Autoimmune diseases involve overactivity of the immune system. The body starts to "attack itself," being in super-defense mode.
I've read that people with autoimmune diseases can rarely get bacterial or common viral infections because their immune system is a beast. Its fighting off all the bad stuff...but its also sometimes trying to fight off you!


most headaches are NOT caused by inflammation - doc cathy.



btbnnyr
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20 May 2013, 8:55 pm

My immune system is verry merry berry good for Earthlings, but sometimes it attacks me too.


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TinyDancer
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20 May 2013, 10:10 pm

cathylynn wrote:
TinyDancer wrote:
PerfectlyDarkTails wrote:
Rather peculiar... I seem to have a stronger than normal immune system... I get illnesses far less often than people I know. I have around 2 minor illnesses a year. 8O. Despite frequent and intense regular headaches... no other common ailments.


Headaches are inflammation. Inflammation is an immune response.
Autoimmune diseases involve overactivity of the immune system. The body starts to "attack itself," being in super-defense mode.
I've read that people with autoimmune diseases can rarely get bacterial or common viral infections because their immune system is a beast. Its fighting off all the bad stuff...but its also sometimes trying to fight off you!


most headaches are NOT caused by inflammation - doc cathy.


Are most headaches "tension headaches" then?
Then what causes tension and how does tension cause pain?

I'm not being a smartass I'm actually asking because I want to know and I thought that almost all pain was caused by some kind of inflammation.



cathylynn
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20 May 2013, 10:36 pm

inflammation is redness, swelling, pain, heat, and loss of function. although pain is part of inflammation, not all pain is part of inflammation.

tension headaches result when we squeeze the muscles around our head and neck until they are sore. massage or Tylenol, neither of which are anti-inflammatory, relieves tension headache quite well.

migraines result from dilated blood vessels. no one knows why the vessels dilate. the stretch is what causes the pain. caffeine, which constricts blood vessels can ease a migraine.

sinus headaches are generally caused by a bacterial infection. there is some secondary inflammation involved, but it's a normal immune function.

temporal arteritis is an autoimmune headache

meningitis with severe headache is cause by infection.

thrombotic strokes with headache may be the result of inflammation in blood vessels.

embolic strokes with headache are usually from clots broken off from a large clot in the heart due to a rhythm problem most commonly caused by the heart's electrical system just wearing out.

hemorrhagic strokes with severe headache are usually cause by high blood pressure.

traumatic headaches are a result of being beaned in the head.

brain tumor headaches (which get gradually worse over a period of weeks) are caused by cancer, which could be construed as immune dysfunction because the immune system did not kill the tumor cells.

this is not all types of headaches, but a good overview. tension headache and migraine are the most frequent types of headaches.



TinyDancer
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20 May 2013, 11:18 pm

cathylynn wrote:
inflammation is redness, swelling, pain, heat, and loss of function. although pain is part of inflammation, not all pain is part of inflammation.

tension headaches result when we squeeze the muscles around our head and neck until they are sore. massage or Tylenol, neither of which are anti-inflammatory, relieves tension headache quite well.

migraines result from dilated blood vessels. no one knows why the vessels dilate. the stretch is what causes the pain. caffeine, which constricts blood vessels can ease a migraine.

sinus headaches are generally caused by a bacterial infection. there is some secondary inflammation involved, but it's a normal immune function.

temporal arteritis is an autoimmune headache

meningitis with severe headache is cause by infection.

thrombotic strokes with headache may be the result of inflammation in blood vessels.

embolic strokes with headache are usually from clots broken off from a large clot in the heart due to a rhythm problem most commonly caused by the heart's electrical system just wearing out.

hemorrhagic strokes with severe headache are usually cause by high blood pressure.

traumatic headaches are a result of being beaned in the head.

brain tumor headaches (which get gradually worse over a period of weeks) are caused by cancer, which could be construed as immune dysfunction because the immune system did not kill the tumor cells.

this is not all types of headaches, but a good overview. tension headache and migraine are the most frequent types of headaches.



I read that migraines respond to anti-inflammatory drugs like Bayer.

What is the difference between inflammation in blood vessels and dilation of blood vessels? I didn't know we can get inflammation IN blood vessels. is that the opposite of dilation?

what are the ways our nerves first get triggered to send pain signals to the CNS?