What to do when the body turns on itself

Our immune system is a wonderful entity that protects us from disease and infection. It does so by identifying viruses, bacteria, parasitic worms, and sometimes even tumour cells, and then killing the aliens. However, in about 2% of cases, the body's immune system goes awry and fails to recognise its own parts as ‘self ’, which results in an attack on healthy cells. This can occur from before birth, as in type 1 diabetes, into old age. This is called autoimmune disease.

This article discusses risk factors, symptoms, and treatment for autoimmune disease, and oral effects of the diseases themselves or their treatment. It specifically covers systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), scleroderma, and Sjögren's syndrome.