What causes Rheumatic diseases?

Rheumatic diseases result from an aberrant immune system. Usually, a body has a complex network of immune system cells. These cells are important in the body. When a body is infected by a pathogen, or even when a foreign particle is detected in the body, the immune cells try to attack the invader to protect the body. In most cases, the immune cells attack and protect the body from foreign invaders while maintaining the integrity of the body. However, there is a slight damage to the body tissues that occurs at the site of attack due to the resulting inflammation. The surrounding tissue cells get damaged. On the contrary, immune cells may not only attack foreign invaders but also body’s tissues. That happens when the immune cells fail to distinguish foreign invaders and the body’s tissues. When this happens, a severe attack as that directed against foreign invaders is directed to body tissues. The affected body tissues get damaged as a consequence. Often, joints are affected. However, soft tissues such as the kidneys and heart valves could also be damaged. A common example of rheumatic diseases is rheumatoid arthritis which affects synovial joints. Ankylosing spondylitis is also another rheumatic disease that affects the bones of the spine. That results in a stiff body. Lupus (also known as the systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE) is a rheumatic condition that affects the entire body so that multiple systems are affected.