Autoantibodies

What are autoantibodies?

Autoantibodies are a malfunctioning type of antibody.

Antibodies are proteins your immune system makes to identify and destroy invaders like germs, allergens or toxins in your blood. When your immune system detects a new unwanted substance in your body, it makes antibodies customized to find and destroy that invader.

Autoantibodies harm your body instead of keeping it healthy. They mistakenly target healthy tissue, instead of protecting you from substances that can make you sick. This damage can eventually cause many types of autoimmune diseases, including:

• Type 1 diabetes.
• Rheumatoid arthritis.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Lupus.
• Graves’ disease.
• Psoriasis.
• Inflammatory bowel disease.
• Sjögren’s syndrome.
• Myositis.
• Myasthenia gravis.
• Antiphospholipid syndrome.

What causes autoantibodies?

Your immune system creates autoantibodies by mistake. Experts aren’t sure why this happens.

Researchers think that certain factors may trigger (make your body start producing) autoantibodies, but they’re still studying how or why this occurs. Some triggers may include:

• Infections: Certain viral infections or bacterial infections may stress or damage your immune system enough that it starts making autoantibodies.
• Environmental factors: Factors like where you live or being exposed to pollution or certain toxins might trigger autoantibodies.
• Your genes: You might be more likely to produce some autoantibodies if your biological parents have them. This is called having a genetic predisposition. Experts aren’t sure which genetic mutations may trigger autoantibodies. Studies have found links that suggest the risk of autoantibodies can be passed through generations in biological families.

For now, healthcare providers can’t say for sure what causes autoantibodies. It’s possible they also happen with no direct cause or trigger (idiopathically).

How do healthcare providers diagnose and treat diseases autoantibodies cause?

You won’t need treatment for autoantibodies unless you develop a health condition they cause. In fact, you might never know you have them if you never experience any symptoms. Even if you do need treatments, it will usually be for the condition the autoantibodies cause, rather than the autoantibodies themselves.

A healthcare provider can screen you for specific autoantibodies using blood tests. They’ll take a sample of your blood and look for the autoantibody associated with conditions that cause the symptoms you’re experiencing.

For example, if you have symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) your provider might do a blood test to look for rheumatoid factor (an autoantibody that causes RA and other inflammatory conditions). Or if you experience sudden blood clots or pregnancy complications, they may check your blood for lupus anticoagulant — an autoantibody that increases your risk of having antiphospholipid syndrome.

Which treatments you’ll need depends on which autoimmune condition you have (and the symptoms it’s causing). Many autoimmune diseases are chronic (long-term) conditions. You might have to manage them for a long time (possibly the rest of your life).

Your provider will suggest ways to manage the symptoms and reduce their impact on your day-to-day routine. You might need to see a rheumatologist, a provider who specializes in treating autoimmune diseases.

When should I visit a healthcare provider?

See a healthcare provider if you notice any new or changing symptoms that feel unusual to you. Any new pain, discomfort, swelling or any other change you notice is worth getting checked out by a provider — especially if it doesn’t go away or gets worse over time.

You know your body and what’s normal for you. Don’t ignore changes that feel out of the ordinary. Trust your gut and listen to your instincts.

If you know you have an autoimmune disease, talk to your provider if it feels like you’re experiencing symptoms more often (or more severely) than usual.