Author: Isabel

COVID-19 Increases Autoimmune Disease Risk

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A January 2023 study by German researchers suggests that your risk of developing an autoimmune disease is increased after catching COVID-19.

The study included over 38 million participants, approximately 640,000 of whom had contracted the COVID-19 virus, and the remainder being the control group. The study examined the likelihood that an individual would develop one of 30 autoimmune diseases after being infected with COVID-19.

The results of the study found that after being diagnosed with COVID, patients were 43% more likely to go on to develop an autoimmune disease. The most common autoimmune diseases that developed post-infection were: Rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, Graves’ disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Study participants who had contracted COVID-19 were also more likely to develop, but to a lesser extent, one of: psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, alopecia, and vitiligo.

Study participants who already had an autoimmune disease faced a 23% increased risk of developing an additional autoimmune condition after COVID-19 infection, as compared to those who didn’t get the virus.

This German study adds to the body of research being conducted about COVID-19’s lasting impact on health outcomes. ‘Long COVID’, as it’s been called, can result in neurological problems, breathing difficulty, cardiovascular issues, digestive problems, and more. Now, autoimmune disease may be another outcome to add to the ever-growing list of long COVID health issues.

The results from this German research study on the connection between autoimmune disease and COVID-19 infection shouldn’t be a surprise. The risk of developing autoimmunity after a viral infection has been well documented in the past, such as the connection between the Epstein-Barr virus and autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis. It’s believed that through a process called molecular mimicry, viruses are able to deflect attacks from the host’s immune system, by confusing immune cells, and causing them to target healthy tissues instead.

COVID-19 patients have anecdotally shared their experiences battling autoimmune conditions after an initial coronavirus infection. Famed singer and musician Christopher Cross, for example, spoke out about his battle with Guillain-Barre syndrome after being infected. Children were also shown to be developing a condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MICS) after getting COVID, which often proved to be worse than the virus itself.

For more information on COVID-19 and autoimmune disease, check out this blog post on COVID-19 vaccination and products that may help in your battle against COVID if you’ve already caught the virus.

Autoimmune Warriors, How Are Your 2023 Resolutions Going?

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We’re 10 days into the New Year, and I wanted to check in with my fellow Autoimmune Warriors to see how your 2023 resolutions were going.

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to get back into doing yoga. I started doing yoga as a teenager, and then moved into doing more team sports like field hockey or doing other fitness classes like pilates and spinning. But I realized these past few months how much I missed doing yoga. I think it’s great not only as a form of exercise, but to help with stress relief as well. The problem is, I moved to a new neighborhood and wasn’t familiar with the local studios in my new hood.

The great thing about the New Year, is that if you have fitness and health related goals, that there are plenty of gyms, fitness centers, and health products doing promotions around this time to get your business. I ended up finding a local yoga studio on the MindBody app that was doing a promotion for only $10 for your first class.

It’s been ages since I went to a yoga class, and although there are similarities between yoga and pilates, which I had more experience with, it’s still not the same! Doing the class made me realize how important flexibility is in yoga; at one point, we were doing a stretch where everyone ended up in the splits…except me. But I was surprised by how flexible I was given that I hadn’t been to a yoga class in ages.

Other than getting back into yoga, another resolution of mine is to be more proactive about my health. In the busyness of life, it can be easy to slip with your healthcare routine. As an Autoimmune Warrior, you probably spend a lot more time than the average person when it comes to going to doctor’s appointments, ordering and picking up prescriptions, sorting and taking your medications, getting lab work done, preparing healthy meals, and more. It’s basically like having a part-time job, on top of all of the other work that you have to do!

In my case, this means making sure I make those appointments with my various specialists, ensure that I’m getting my lab work done on a quarterly basis, making any follow-up appointments if any abnormalities arise in my labwork, and ensuring that I’m always fully stocked on my meds. It also means ensuring that I get a good night’s sleep (at least 7 hours) and do daily exercise. I’m also putting more effort into making healthier meals, and using more fresh produce from our home garden.

The interesting thing about having an autoimmune disorder is that it’s chronic in nature, meaning that autoimmune symptoms are continuous and never-ending. So it’s not like a weight loss goal, where I can say, “I want to lose 20 pounds” and then I’ve achieved the goal once I’ve lost that amount of weight. In other words, there isn’t an exact ‘outcome’ that we can really strive towards or predict. This makes measuring your goal progress a little trickier.

However, I remind myself that it’s not always about achieving a specific outcome (i.e. lose 20 lbs) but more so about adopting an overall healthier lifestyle. Do you notice that the people with the greatest longevity in the world, who live in the so-called Blue Zones, don’t ever count calories or even own a scale? It’s their daily habits that contribute to their overall healthy lifestyle.

So cheers to 2023, and I hope that your New Year’s resolutions are going well so far and continue to progress as the year goes by. Let me know your goals (health-related or otherwise) in the comments below!

Celine Dion Reveals Stiff Person Syndrome Diagnosis

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Celine Dion performing in Las Vegas

Celine Dion performing during her Las Vegas residency. Image courtesy of CNN.

Decorated Canadian singer-songwriter Celine Dion reveals she was recently diagnosed with a rare neurological autoimmune disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome. The diagnosis has lead her to cancel her summer 2023 shows, as well as re-schedule others to 2024.

According to Yale Medicine, Stiff Person Syndrome is believed to be an autoimmune reaction that occurs when the body’s own immune system attacks and destroys a vital protein called Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (GAD). This protein is responsible for making a substance called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps to regulate motor neuron cells, and ensure they’re not over-active.

People with low levels of GABA have neurons that continuously fire, even when they’re not supposed to. This results in debilitating symptoms like violent muscle spasms, muscle stiffening in the torso and limbs, and difficulty with walking and movement. GABA also helps to regulate symptoms of depression and anxiety, so those with Stiff Person Syndrome are at a higher risk for developing these mental health conditions.

The 54-year-old Grammy award-winning artist has said that the condition has had a profound impact on her life, commenting: “Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.”

Getting diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome can be a challenge, since the symptoms can mimic many other neurological health conditions, like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia, and more. Patients typically undergo a thorough examination, such as blood tests and spinal fluid tests, to find elevated levels of anti-GAD antibodies, in order to get diagnosed.

Being diagnosed was not a straightforward process for Dion herself. “While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having,” she said.

Although anyone can develop Stiff Person Syndrome, the National Organization for Rare Disorders reports that adults ages 30 to 60 are most commonly diagnosed with the condition. The condition is considered rare, with only one in a million individuals being diagnosed with SPS among the general population.

There is no cure for Stiff Person Syndrome, but treatments like steroids to control inflammation, plus the use of sedatives and muscle relaxants to control muscle spasms, can help. Sometimes Stiff Person Syndrome patients are also prescribed immunotherapies to help calm an over-active immune system that’s destroying their GAD proteins.

In an emotional video on her Instagram, Dion said, “I’m working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again. But I have to admit it’s been a struggle.”

To learn more about Stiff Person Syndrome, visit the SPS Research Foundation’s website.