‘All in your head’: when doctors misdiagnose autoimmune disease as psychosomatic.
Via BG(ret) Ioannis Galatas MD, MA, MC
The Periscope says: Struggling with autoimmune disease (like ME/CSF) is often a losing battle from the get-go. Many doctors misdiagnose the condition, which in turn leads to incorrect pharmaceutical treatment often with negative results.
The spread of such conditions, like ME/CFS, however, contributes to accelerating research seeking to understand the nature of the malady, which, in turn, opens the door to developing successful treatments.
As of this moment, ME/CFS still remains a mystery disease although current research continues to push doors open into understanding how it all occurs and evolves—which, in turn, increases the success of pharmaceutical research and development of specific drugs to battle the invading enemy.
Sufferers, however, still experience debilitating symptoms and severe psychological pressure which push many doctors to prescribe psychiatric drugs to lessen the day-to-day symptoms of the disease, which carry their own side effects and risk of addiction without contributing to successful and lasting therapies of the underlying cause.
This writer has been prescribed a ton of such drugs, which offered no solid therapies but, rather, “tested” ways of diminishing the daily torture of living in physical and psychological darkness. Needless to say, none of these drugs offered lasting and positive relief leading to a “revolving door” syndrome and diminishing hopes of beating the dragon.
Autoimmunity and ME/CFS
Research highlighting the role of the immune system in ME/CFS has led some scientists to suggest that autoimmune mechanisms may play a role in the development of the disease. However, as ME/CFS is complex, and differs both between people, and within the same individual over time, findings have been inconsistent
Autoimmunity is a state in which your immune system mistakenly attacks – and damages, the body’s healthy cells.
Autoimmune diseases – many of which share symptoms with ME/CFS, include rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, Type 1 diabetes, lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, and some thyroid conditions.
A paper published in BMC Immunology aimed to search for, and summarise all existing, peer-reviewed, published studies relating specifically to autoimmunity in ME/CFS.
The search identified that 10 papers had been published since 1994 on autoimmunity and ME/CFS. Amongst these papers:
One investigated the role of cytokine signaling – a process that involves the release of small proteins – cytokines, to control the activity of other cells in the body, particularly immune and blood cells.
Three considered the genetic nature – the genes and other hereditary factors that impact how a person develops, of autoimmunity in people with ME/CFS.
One studied the immune lineage – the different types of cells that make up the immune system and how they are related to each other, in people with ME/CFS.
Six reported on the presence, and role of, autoantibodies in ME/CFS
Autoantibodies are antibodies – proteins produced by the immune system to recognize and neutralize foreign substances that enter the body, that mistakenly attack the body’s own cells and tissue.
While immune abnormalities – including increased levels of autoantibodies, have been observed in people with ME/CFS, the authors of the review article concluded that there is “inconsistent and insufficient evidence to classify ME/CFS as an autoimmune disease” – rather the findings from the 10 studies highlight the complexity of ME/CFS, and the urgent need for more research “to advance the development of diagnostic and treatment strategies”.
