Overview of Autoimmune Disorders of Connective Tissue

Your immune system Overview of the Immune System The immune system is your body's defense system. It helps protect you from illness and infection. The immune system's job is to attack things that don’t belong in your body, including: Germs... read more helps protect you from illness and infection. It usually attacks invading bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. With an autoimmune disorder Autoimmune Diseases The immune system is your body's defense system. It helps protect you from illness and infection. The immune system usually attacks invading bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. With an autoimmune... read more , your immune system makes a mistake and starts attacking parts of your own body.

Connective tissue is what holds your organs together. There's some connective tissue in every organ but especially in your skin, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels.

An autoimmune disorder of connective tissue is a disease in which your immune system attacks your own connective tissue.

Symptoms depend on which disorder you have but can include:

Doctors suspect you have an autoimmune disorder of connective tissue based on your symptoms and by doing:

Doctors treat these disorders with:

If you take corticosteroids at high doses or for a long period of time, you have a higher chance of having osteoporosis Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens your bones. Your bones become thinner and more fragile. This is called a loss of bone density. If you have osteoporosis, your bones break more easily... read more (weak bones). Doctors may have you take vitamin D, calcium, and medicine to keep your bones strong.