Immune system and Auto immune diseases

[Gfamily]

This post viewtopic.php?p=5121#p5121 on the "Arguing or discussing styles" thread reminded me that in my 30s I used to get a patch of eczema on my chest, but if I had a cold or other infection it went away.
Is there any evidence that having an immune response to an external threat can reduce the effects of auto immune diseases?

[GeenDienst]

AFAIK, which isn't much, all the focus has been on infections as triggers of autoimmune diseases, which is likely true (lot of effort looking at certain enteroviruses as an environmental trigger for type 1 diabetes right now).

This free-to-air review might be of some interest, based on the hugely cherrypicked sentence, "increasing evidence suggests the opposite outcome, which is the prevention or amelioration of autoimmune processes following microbial encounters".

https://www.jimmunol.org/content/174/12/7481

Otherwise, the inflammatory processes kicked off by infections can make autoimmune conditions worse. An increase in temperature for example, can bring on an attack of MS.

[science_fox]

There's certainly an un-evidenced view that 'makes sense' that the rising trend of prevalence in auto-immune diseases is in part contributed to by the lack of external targets increasing hygiene conditions provide. Obviously better diagnosis is always a confounding factor.

MS is weird - not just sparked by hotter conditions, but prevalence is temperature/sunlight/vitD dependant too. And exposure to the glandular fever virus is also thought to be pre-requisite, along with a genetic component.

[raven]

in my 30s I used to get a patch of eczema on my chest, but if I had a cold or other infection it went away.
Is there any evidence that having an immune response to an external threat can reduce the effects of auto immune diseases?

There could be another explanation. Maybe you'd drink more, bathe less or eat differently? Would you take vitamins if you had a cold? Taking vitamin D helps my dry skin, & my dad says taking vitamin C stops the bad to the point of splitting dry skin he gets on his hands in the winter.

OTOH, I have at times noticed my IBS symptoms and weird joint pains seem to vanish when I'll ill with an infection, but that might be an attentional thing. (Also, but this is more about allergies than autoimmunity, since the IBS started my hayfever has virtually diappeared and I've started to have other allergic reactions to food/drugs/contact. Which could just be aging, but I seem to remember reading about some link between the gut & allergies - something to do with parasites affecting immune response - so who knows.)

[username]

It is an idea that is being tested, for example, helminthic therapy.

[Seagull]

To respond to the OP my daughter has been suffering from quite severe eczema recently, until she came out in a widespread rash of unknown cause - likely viral. As the rash developed, the eczema entirely resolved. But a fortnight later as the rash cleared up, the eczema has come back. She was not ill in any way apart from the rash, and was eating/drinking/behaving as normal. I have nothing to add apart from anecdata though, I'm afraid.

[Gfamily]

To respond to the OP my daughter has been suffering from quite severe eczema recently, until she came out in a widespread rash of unknown cause - likely viral. As the rash developed, the eczema entirely resolved. But a fortnight later as the rash cleared up, the eczema has come back. She was not ill in any way apart from the rash, and was eating/drinking/behaving as normal. I have nothing to add apart from anecdata though, I'm afraid.

Very much like my experience.

My patch cleared eventually, I hope hers does too.