Women with these diseases can suffer significant damage as a result of not being diagnosed early in the course of their disease. Adding to the problem is the fact that the diagnostic tests for many autoimmune diseases are not standardized. Thus, many persons who may have milder forms of autoimmune diseases do not quite meet the established criteria for a particular disease. We are only just beginning to understand how autoimmunity affects women.
Autoimmunity is also a major cause of miscarriages.
The report, which examined 150 studies of only 24 autoimmune diseases, found that nearly 10 million Americans have one of the diseases included in the report. This nation involves some 86 billion dollars of its health care money in the treatment of autoimmune disease. We're talking about a major health problem in the United States. Advance in these areas will have a direct impact on our understanding of autoimmunity. With regard to genetics, the fact that autoimmune diseases can run in families indicates that the development of this disease has a genetic basis.