What to know about autoimmune diseases as Nadiya Hussain gives health update

Nadiya Hussain has given an update on her health, after previously revealing she's living with two autoimmune diseases.

The Great British Bake Off star, 40, explains her illness will be something she has to "deal with forever" in a new interview where she stresses the importance of self-care.

"If I think about how hard I’ve worked over the past nine years, I think that stress and exhaustion is a huge part in my diagnosis of illness that I’ve had over the past year," Hussain tells Prima magazine in the March issue. "My [autoimmune disease] is a lifelong thing. It’s something that I will live with forever and it’s something that I will have to deal with forever.

"But I’m very lucky, because I have really amazing support at home. I have people who look out for me and that’s really important. But my best advice to anyone is to learn to look out for yourself and know when you need to stop."

It's not the first time that Hussain's warned against doing too much. When she first revealed her health struggles via an Instagram post in October, the mother of three said: "I cannot express enough the importance of taking care of yourself. I am the kind of person who burns the candle at both ends, takes care of everyone’s needs but my own. I don’t take time out for myself. I don’t really know what that means or what that feels like. Not really. And when I do take time for myself, I feel incredibly guilty."

The television chef and author of Rooza, her latest cookbook, added: "But recently, mostly this year, but over the course of two years, I’ve been quite unwell. I’ve just been getting sick. And over the course of the two years, I’ve been diagnosed with two autoimmune diseases, which I’m not going to go into now."

Hussain added that having a diagnosis will help her manage her illness better, and spoke of the importance of "listening to your body". However, she admitted that she is "the worst at that" and revealed it’s been "a tough year" of hospital tests.

Studies suggest that autoimmune disorders affect around one in 10 people in the UK. According to a population-based study of 22 million people, published in The Lancet last year, a higher proportion of women (17%) are affected by autoimmune disease compared to men (7%).

What is an autoimmune disease?

An autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells and tissues instead of protecting them from foreign cells.

There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases known, including conditions like type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. They are often chronic and a diagnosis can be life-changing as patients must learn to adjust to taking lifelong medications and treatments to help them cope with their condition.

There is no cure for autoimmune diseases, but symptoms can be managed through medication, lifestyle changes and other treatments. The exact cause of the conditions is unknown, but scientists theorise that some microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses, or medications may trigger changes that confuse the immune system.

What are the most common autoimmune diseases?

Some of the most common autoimmune diseases include:

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Type 1 diabetes

• Coeliac disease

• Multiple sclerosis (MS)

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

• Lupus

• Crohn’s disease

• Thyroid disease (including Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Graves Disease)

• Psoriasis

These conditions cause inflammation that can affect different parts of the body. For instance, psoriasis affects the skin, while coeliac and Crohn’s disease affect the digestive system. Type 1 diabetes and thyroid disease affect hormones, rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints, and MS affects the nervous system.

As a result of autoimmune diseases affecting different body parts, symptoms can vary widely. How severe the symptoms are also varies from individual to individual and can range from fleeting and fluctuating to debilitating pain.

4 autoimmune disease risk factors you should know about

While researchers don’t know the exact cause of autoimmune disease, there are certain risk factors that can increase the chance of developing a disorder, according to John Hopkins Medicine.

1. Genetics can play an important role, particularly for certain disorders like lupus and MS, which tend to run in families.

2. Being overweight or obese can raise the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis, as it is thought more weight puts greater stress on the joints.

3. Smoking has been linked to a number of autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism and MS.

4. Certain medications may also trigger autoimmune conditions, such as drug-induced lupus and statin-induced myopathy. You should speak to your doctor before starting or stopping any medications.

How do you get a diagnosis for an autoimmune disease?

Receiving a diagnosis for an autoimmune condition can take a long time and may be challenging, particularly if the disease affects multiple parts of the body instead of just one.

This is because patients tend to go to different doctors for different symptoms, and they may not connect the symptoms to one another.

The Autoimmune Association recommends getting to know your family’s medical history and keeping a list of major symptoms in order to get a clearer picture of your condition.

You can also get a more accurate diagnosis by getting a thorough clinical examination and seeking multiple opinions. There are a number of immunology tests that your GP can refer you for if you suspect an autoimmune disease.

Read more about health and wellness:

• Warning signs you unknowingly have an autoimmune disease - from tiredness to bloating (BristolLive, 4-min read)

• Nightmares could be an early warning sign of an autoimmune disease flare-up – new study (The Conversation, 4-min read)

• Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley diagnosed with Graves’ disease (PA Media, 1-min read)