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    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Bohandas's Avatar

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    Default What, precisely, is the difference between an allergy and an autoimmune disease?

    I know that they're both situations where the immune system malfunctions and harms the body, and that autoimmune disirders seem to usually be immune reactioms to the body itself, but this isn't always the case (Celiac disease, for example, is a reaction to ingested substances but considered an autoimmune disorder rather than an allergy). If this isn't the distinction, than what is?
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    AssassinGuy

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    Default Re: What, precisely, is the difference between an allergy and an autoimmune disease?

    I believe an autoimmune disease is one where your immune system is specifically attacking your body, whereas an allergy is simply when your immune system goes after something with an unnecessarily strong reaction. So somebody who is allergic to, say, bee stings isnt deliberately hurting their own cells, its just that the immune response is so strong and powerful that it inflicts harm in some indirect way.

    Your Celiac disease for example still has your immune system directly attacking your cells because it mistakenly believes them to be foreign hazards for whatever reason.
    Last edited by Keltest; 2021-01-18 at 11:02 PM.
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    Brother Oni's Avatar

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    Default Re: What, precisely, is the difference between an allergy and an autoimmune disease?

    Keeping it simple, an allergy is the body over-reacting to a substance; an autoimmune disease is the immune system treating your own body cells as foreign.

    A quick rule of thumb is that an autoimmune disorder involves tissue damage; in coeliac disease, the gluten causes a reaction that makes the immune system destroy the villi in the small intestine. The subsequent lack of absorption gives rise to the digestive issues among the other symptoms.

    That isn't to say an allergy can't potentially be fatal, but emergency treatments are available and quick acting, from antihistamines for mild cases, to adrenaline auto-injectors for more severe reactions.
    There isn't such emergency treatments for an autoimmune disorder that I'm aware of.
    Last edited by Brother Oni; 2021-01-20 at 07:51 PM.

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    Troll in the Playground
     
    DwarfClericGuy

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    Default Re: What, precisely, is the difference between an allergy and an autoimmune disease?

    Quote Originally Posted by Brother Oni View Post
    There isn't such emergency treatments for an autoimmune disorder that I'm aware of.
    Not really, since they're chronic.

    Mostly involving immunosuppressants to keep the roar to a minimum...

    Otherwise, steroids to minimize damage on bad flare-ups of certain AIDs.
    Last edited by sihnfahl; 2021-01-20 at 07:59 PM.
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