Immunologist for Autoimmune Diseases in Coral Gables and Palmetto Bay, FL

Your immune system is a large network of organs and cells designed to protect your body from foreign invaders such as bacteria, parasites, and viruses. An autoimmune disease is the result of the immune system malfunctioning, which causes it to accidentally attack your body instead of protecting it.

Due to the widespread nature of the immune system, autoimmune diseases can target different areas, tissues, and organs in the body. This can result in a wide variety of symptoms such as muscle and joint pain, fatigue, rashes, skin conditions, nausea, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, dizziness, and more. Symptoms depend on the exact autoimmune disease that is contracted.

Currently, there are over 100 known autoimmune diseases, the most common of which are rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.

More research needs to be done to understand what causes autoimmune diseases as it’s still unclear what causes the immune system to misfire this way.

Currently, there are over 100 known autoimmune diseases in existence, and more are still being discovered. The most common autoimmune diseases include:

• Addison’s disease
• Autoimmune vasculitis
• Celiac disease
• Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
• Crohn’s disease
• Dermatomyositis
• Graves’ disease
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Lupus
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Myasthenia gravis
• Pernicious anemia
• Psoriasis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sjögren’s syndrome
• Type 1 diabetes
• Ulcerative colitis
• Vasculitis

Autoimmune diseases can target different areas, tissues, and organs in the body. This can result in a wide variety of symptoms, the nature of which depends on the autoimmune disease itself.

Autoimmune conditions impacting the nervous system are often characterized by:

• Anxiety
• Blurry vision
• Confusion
• Depression
• Difficulty thinking or brain fog
• Dizziness and/or light-headedness
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Memory deterioration
• Migraines
• Numbness and tingling in the body

Autoimmune diseases that affect the joints and muscles often result in:

• Inflammation
• Muscle aches and pains
• Muscle weakness or fatigue
• Pain, stiffness, and swelling in the joints

Conditions affecting the skin can result in:

• Dry eyes
• Dry mouth
• Dry skin
• Hair loss
• Inflammation
• Itching
• Rashes

Diseases that affect the digestive tract often have the following symptoms:

• Abdominal pain
• Acid reflux
• Bloating
• Blood or mucus in stool
• Constipation
• Food sensitivities
• Nausea

Other common symptoms related to other diseases not listed above are:

• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Irregular heartbeat
• Pain
• Rapid heartbeat
• Sensitivity to temperature
• Shortness of breath
• Swollen glands
• Weight gain or loss

An immunologist specializes in diagnosing and treating health conditions that are brought on as a result of problems in the immune system. This includes issues ranging from mild allergies to severe autoimmune diseases.

Diagnosing an autoimmune disease can be tricky as many autoimmune diseases have similar symptoms to other diseases. A specialist is often able to diagnose you more quickly than a general practitioner as they have a large body of experience, knowledge, and education in identifying autoimmune disorders.

At Piniella Asthma & Allergy, we strive for continued excellence when it comes to diagnosing and treating autoimmune conditions. Contact our team today for more information about services or book in for an appointment to get the ball rolling on your treatment. The care that you need is only a phone call (or a click) away! We serve patients from Coral Gables FL, Palmetto Bay FL, Westchester FL, Brownsville FL, Kendall FL, Pinecrest FL, Richmond West FL, and Goulds FL.