List of Autoimmune Diseases

A comprehensive list of autoimmune diseases would have about 100 individual diseases listed on it. Some autoimmune diseases may mimic other diseases, but each comes with its own specific list of symptoms.

The following list is not a comprehensive collection of every disease known to the medical profession, but it will give you a good start. Some of these diseases may affect areas of the body in addition to those listed. Some of these diseases are fatal, some are not. All of these diseases react and respond differently to treatment, depending on the individual.

List of Autoimmune Diseases

• Addison's Disease: Attacks the adrenal glands, causing fatigue, increased skin pigmentation, weakness and joint pain. Symptoms are slow to develop, and this condition usually isn't diagnosed until it reaches an advanced stage.
• Alopecia Areata: Attacks hair follicles. This can cause bald patches in people of any age. In some cases, a total loss of body hair will occur.
• Arthritis: - Attacks the joints in various parts of the body, most frequently the hands and fingers. Swelling can be so severe that the joints stop working.
• Asthma: Attacks the lungs, causing them to shut off in certain situations. Can be fatal without proper treatment.
• Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIED): Attacks the inner ear. Over time, this causes hearing loss, a loss of balance and dizziness.
• Celiac Disease: Attacks the lining of the small intestine, making it impossible to digest gluten found in flour and wheat products.
• Colitis: Attacks the colon, causing abdominal pain and bloody stools.
• Crohn's Disease: Similar to Colitis, but can attack any part of the digestive system.
• Cushing's Syndrome: Attacks multiple systems, causing weight gain, fatigue and muscle weakness. This disease most commonly results from the use of drugs that suppress the immune system.
• Diabetes, Type 1: Attacks the pancreas, damaging the body's ability to metabolize glucose. Can cause blindness and the loss of limbs if left untreated.
• Eczema: Attacks the skin, causing red, flaky lesions that may itch.
• Fibromyalgia: Attacks multiple parts of the body, causing fatigue and chronic pain that often moves from one part of the body to another.
• Grave's Disease: Attacks the thyroid, causing it to swell. This can choke off the esophagus and windpipe, and the overactive thyroid can cause sleeplessness and rapid heartbeat.
• Guillian-Barre Syndrome: Attacks the nervous system. Symptoms generally begin as a feeling of weakness in the lower legs that quickly spreads to other parts of the body.
• Hemolytic Anemia: Attacks red blood cells, killing them before the bone marrow can create more. Fatigue, pallor, a rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath are common symptoms.
• Hepatitis: In some cases, hepatitis can be caused by the immune system attacking the liver, although viruses and alcohol consumption are more common causes. Symptoms include dark urine, fatigue, itching, abdominal pain and loss of appetite.
• Kawasaki's Disease: Attacks multiple systems, causing a high fever, red eyes, swelling, redness and irritation throughout the body. Common in infants and toddlers, this illness often follows a viral infection.
• Lupus: Attacks all parts of the body. Causes fatigue, joint swelling, muscle aches, seizures and a variety of other problems.
• Psoriasis: A genetic autoimmune disorder, this attacks the skin, causing dead skin cells to cluster near the surface. 
• Rheumatoid Arthritis: A chronic and more dangerous form of arthritis, it primarily attacks the joints but can also attack other connecting tissues as well as the heart and lungs. Early symptoms include stiffness, fatigue and muscle weakness.
• Vitiligo: Attacks the skin, causing a loss of pigmentation in the affected areas. Appears as splotches of pale white skin that may spread.