Can I Have an Autoimmune Disease Without Knowing It?

Medical experts group more than 100 conditions under the umbrella of autoimmune disease. All of these different health problems have one thing in common: the person’s natural defenses are mistakenly turning on a healthy body part. 

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, autoimmune diseases are the third-most common category of disease in the United States, following behind only cancer and heart disease. And unfortunately, many cases of autoimmune disease go undiagnosed. 

We want to help change that. That’s why Dr. Jonathan Singer, Dr. Gina Dattoli, and our team here at HealthFirst specialize in autoimmune illness. At our offices in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, we offer extensive testing to determine if you’re being affected by one of these conditions. And if you are, we tailor your treatment to improve your health and help you feel better. 

The challenge of diagnosis

With more than 100 different conditions to contribute to the total, you would think that doctors would have ample options to choose from to accurately diagnose autoimmune diseases. The problem, though, is that a lot of the symptoms overlap so they’re present in multiple conditions. 

On top of that, many of the symptoms are fairly generic. Several autoimmune illnesses come with symptoms that include fatigue, stomach aches, digestive problems, and skin issues. In other words, the person experiencing the symptom might attribute it to any number of causes. 

The fast-paced, demanding environment in which most doctors work compounds the problem of missed diagnoses, sometimes leading them to dismiss patients with seemingly innocuous symptoms. 

Combined, this means it’s absolutely possible to have an autoimmune disease and not know it. 

Symptoms that may indicate an autoimmune disease

Because autoimmune illnesses can go undiagnosed, it benefits you to be looking out for the symptoms on your own. 

Some of the common symptoms across many autoimmune conditions include:

• Abdominal pain
• Digestive problems
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Joint pain or swelling
• Muscle aches
• Recurring fever
• Skin rashes
• Swollen glands

If some of these sound familiar to you, visit Dr. Singer, Dr. Dattoli, and our team. 

What to do if you think you might have an autoimmune disease

Here at HealthFirst, we have a variety of tools we can use to determine if you might have an autoimmune problem. Dr. Singer and Dr. Dattoli can conduct extensive testing to figure out which condition could be impacting you. 

If we do determine that you have an autoimmune illness, we tailor treatment specifically to you. In many cases, that means treating the root cause of the issue, like a hormone imbalance or nutritional deficiency. Part of your customized treatment plan may be natural therapies to soothe your symptoms. 

If you think you might be having a problem with your immune system, contact our office nearest you to schedule an appointment with our team.