Many patients with psoriasis develop other autoimmune diseases, too

More than 5 million Americans have more than one autoimmune disease

Overall, about 4.6% of the US population—15 million people—have an autoimmune condition. Some common examples include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, Grave's disease, and autoimmune thyroiditis.

How autoimmune diseases, which attack your own tissues and cells, work in the body

These diseases remain some of medicine's thorniest problems because the immune system can mistakenly attack almost any tissue in the body, resulting in myriad diseases, including lupus (numerous tissues affected), Hashimoto's (thyroid), and MS (the nervous system).

Learn about the more than 100 known autoimmune diseases

Explore this resource with summaries and related resources for the dozens of autoimmune diseases defined in the medical literature. Many of these disease write-ups also have interviews with a patient with the disorder—offering a personal take about challenges, advice, and lifestyle effects.

Almost 80% of people diagnosed with autoimmune diseases are women

Yet it's still unanswered what may account for that difference. To better understand this disparity researchers are exploring factors including hormonal changes that occur around puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, as well as gut microbe differences, and aspects of X-chromosome protein-coding genes. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Autoimmune diseases affect between 5% and 10% of people worldwide, but their causes remain unknown

Autoantibodies—which attack the body—may be detectable in the body years before a patient develops symptoms, but some people may have detectable levels yet never go on to develop an autoimmune disease. This video discusses this and other unsolved mysteries with autoimmune disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects about 1% of the population

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition leading to breakdown and inflammation of multiple joints throughout the body. This academic article provides an updated deep dive into our current cellular understanding of rheumatoid arthritis, how it is diagnosed, and the variety of medications available for treating this painful condition.

Twin studies suggest celiac disease is among the more genetically-linked disorders

Genetics appear to play a larger part in this condition's development than many other autoimmune disorders. Research shows a roughly 60-75% genetic probability that if one identical twin has it, the other will too. Celiac triggers a small intestine attack when people eat gluten, a protein commonly found in wheat, barley, and rye.

How one autoimmune disease patient is questing for inflammation cures

This article's writer, who has Hashimoto's Disease and characteristic symptoms from her body attacking her thyroid—like exhaustion, hair loss, and brain fog—shares big take-aways from an anti-inflammatory retreat in Italy. The writer suggests that a holistic approach to eating, sleeping, and stress management, are the only sustainable ways to lower inflammation.

Research links the gut microbiome and rheumatoid arthritis

Arthritis is a potentially disabling joint condition that currently affects nearly one in five adults across the globe. Doctors still don't know what causes rheumatoid arthritis, but the answer may be partly determined by chemicals produced by bacteria in the gut.

GLP-1s are netting interest for treating autoimmune diseases, but are considered experimental

Already used to treat type 2 diabetes, the novel medications are showing some early promise in experimental studies at reducing inflammation and treating autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel conditions. But researchers caution that side effects are still under investigation—rarely the medication has caused lupus, an autoimmune disease.

Early research suggests CAR-T therapy might treat scleroderma, reducing skin thickening

Clinical data from a couple patients in 2025 indicated that one experimental CAR-T therapy called rese-cel was able to genetically reprogram T cells to eliminate certain problematic immune B cells that were causing the condition. The therapy reduced skin thickening and allowed the patients to halt using immunosuppressive medications and steroids.

Between 10 million and 50 million people in the US develop rashes from poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak each year.

Epstein-Barr virus—the cause of 'kissing disease' mononucleosis—may be the leading cause of MS

A Harvard study with data from more than 10 million US military personnel found that people that contracted Epstein-Barr virus had a roughly 32-fold increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis. The work, published in 2022, found that Infection of the virus preceded MS onset by a median of five years, raising questions about better Epstein-Barr virus management and potential disease prevention.

Secondary complications from measles in children range across the whole body

The most serious effects of a measles infection, particularly in young children, come from its attack on the immune system. This leaves the whole body vulnerable to follow-on diseases, with some of the most serious including respiratory conditions, encephalitis, and more.

Post-polio syndrome occurs decades after infection but isn't contagious

Affecting adults who contracted polio as children, this disorder can occur 15 to 40 years later, leading to slow, irreversible muscle weakening. Some research estimates that between 25% and 40% of polio survivors go on to develop this condition.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Nonwhite Lyme patients tend to be diagnosed later and have more severe disease

Peer-reviewed research published in 2025 from Pfizer—a pharmaceutical company working on a candidate vaccine for Lyme disease—examined Lyme data from more than 150,000 Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and found that Black patients, as compared to white beneficiaries, were more likely to have disease that had spread further throughout the body at the time of care. The difference, the scientists wrote, may be partly due to difficulties recognizing the characteristic rash on darker-colored skin.

Inflammation appears to cause specific symptoms of depression

A large analysis of existing studies published in 2021 found that systemic inflammation is associated with fatigue, appetite changes, and sleep disruption, rather than some of depression's broader symptoms including hopelessness about the future, or feeling fearful. This may suggest that inflammation influences specific symptoms of the condition, rather than the disease as a whole.

Could all mental health disorders have a unifying 'p-factor'?

Some researchers have argued in the past couple decades that all mental health disorders may have a unifying dimension—a theoretical "p-factor" that is common across mental illness, but life experiences and behaviors influence if and how illness manifests. Proponents point to similarities across different disorders, while detractors argue that such connections are largely exaggerated.

People with schizophrenia are excluded from psychedelic research

Individuals with this mental health condition are routinely eliminated from any psychedelic research due to concerns about triggering or worsening psychosis. Yet there is little high-quality research in this area, raising questions about if further research into this question is warranted as interest grows in using psychedelics for therapeutic purposes.

Poison ivy can cause rashes any time of the year

This myth-busting article about poison ivy notes that all parts of the plant contain urushiol, the oil that triggers our allergic response, so if you are in the woods in winter you may be still encounter the plant—and urushiol.

Sleep disorders can exacerbate neurological and other health conditions

Brain regions that control sleep sit adjacent to those that regulate the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily functions like heart and breathing rates. These neighbors influence each other, meaning poor sleep can impair or negatively impact the ANS, further disturbing sleep.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Arteries with microplastic deposits linked to higher risk of cardiovascular events

Research shows that microplastics and nanoplastics can accumulate in major arteries, and patients with these deposits are significantly more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes, or death. These deposits are possible due to these particles' ability to cross blood barriers.

See examples of leprosy in the Bible—a broad term for skin ailments in ancient times

People afflicted with leprosy in the Bible may have had a range of different skin diseases, rather than what's clinically diagnosed as Hansen's disease (leprosy) today. In the Bible, as in many traditional societies, those with the disease were often considered unclean or sinful.

Dinosaurs suffered from cancer, arthritis, and infections seen in modern animals

Using CT scans and advanced pathology techniques, paleopathologists have identified respiratory illnesses, malignant osteosarcoma, and other diseases in dinosaurs. The research has helped show how many of these ailments are not exclusively modern phenomena.

Autism Spectrum Disorder, defined in 2013, was previously categorized as numerous disorders

This exploration of ASD history walks through how autism science and diagnoses have evolved over the decades, including the new category in the DSM-4 in 1994 that created Asperger's disorder and pervasive developmental disorders, and the new, broader ASD definition in 2013 in the DSM-5 that has led to more diagnoses.

Doctors are prescribing social activities—and seeing good results

Physicians, especially in the UK, are asking patients what they enjoy and then prescribing a consistent regimen of doing that type of activity to improve fitness and overall health, including community exercise classes, volunteering, and spending time in nature. This approach may provide better incentives to stick with an activity.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

About 12.5% of US adults experience a phobia in their lifetime, a diagnosis that hinges on the intense fear interfering with daily life and persisting for at least six months.

Tattoos remain visible on your skin thanks to immune cells called macrophages

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

See images of medical cases of firework injuries shared on this 'Instagram for doctors.' (Warning: Graphic content)

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Ebola infects and disables immune cells, triggering a cascade of events that leads to small blood clots throughout the body, weakening blood vessels and interrupting blood flow to key organs.

Recent research found that the brain doesn't seem to massively rewire following amputation—upending earlier beliefs about the cause of phantom limb pain.

Explore the known asteroids, comets, and spacecraft involved in asteroid studies within our solar system with 'Eyes on Asteroids,' a 3D visualization from NASA.

Coral reefs get their colors from zooxanthellae—microorganisms that line corals' digestive tracts and provide them with sugars in exchange for a home within this protective tissue.

The syncytiotrophoblast is the outer layer of the placenta and the largest human cell, spanning an area about twice that of a king-sized bedsheet.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

Astronauts have repaired genetic damage in space using CRISPR—a molecular tool that can make precise changes to DNA and is used in single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses.

While the sun's gravity keeps the planets in orbit, their gravity also pulls on the sun, causing it and everything else in the solar system to orbit around a mutual balance point called the barycenter—the true center of the solar system.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

Salvador Dalí believed he was his own dead brother, who had died nine months before he was born

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.