Polyglandular Autoimmune Failure

The first thing we need is a basic understanding of Polyglandular Autoimmune Failure. I hope to give you an explanation as well as a personal glimpse into what it is like to have it. As I said on the index page I will not be giving credit here as that would be impossible. I have collected this information over time from various sources, source types, and from personal experience as well.

DEFINITION
Polyglandular Autoimmune Failure [PGA Failure] seems to be known by several different names including Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndrome [PAS] and Autoimmune Endocrine Failure Syndrome.

Polyglandular Autoimmune Failure comprises a group of autoimmune disorders of the endocrine glands that results in failure of the glands to produce their hormones. Glandular abnormalities of the endocrine system tend to occur together. Up to a quarter of patients with evidence of hypofunction in one gland have evidence of other endocrine diseases.

PGA Failure fall into three categories:

Autoimmune thyroiditis with immune-mediated diabetes
Autoimmune thyroiditis with Pernicious Anemia
Autoimmune thyroiditis with vitiligo and/or alopecia and/or other organ-specific autoimmune disease

ETIOLOGY
The immune system protects the body from potentially harmful substances. These harmful substances or antigens are destroyed by the immune response, which includes production of antibodies and white blood cells that recognize and destroy particular antigens.

Autoimmune disorders develop when the immune system destroys normal body tissues. Normally, the immune system is capable of differentiating "self" from "non-self" tissue. Some immune system cells become sensitized against "self" tissue cells, but these cells are usually controlled by other lymphocytes.

The mechanisms that cause disrupted control or tissue changes are not known. One theory holds that various microorganisms and drugs may trigger some of these changes, particularly in people with a genetic predisposition to an autoimmune disorder.

Autoimmune disorders result in destruction of one or more types of body tissues, abnormal growth of an organ, or changes in organ function. The disorder may affect only one organ or tissue type or may affect multiple organs and tissues. Organs and tissues commonly affected by autoimmune disorders include blood components such as red blood cells, blood vessels, connective tissues, endocrine glands such as the thyroid or pancreas, muscles, joints, and skin. When this destruction is seen with the above patterns, it evolves from having an autoimmune disease to this syndrome.

SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of autoimmune disease vary widely depending on the type of disease. A group of very nonspecific symptoms often accompany autoimmune diseases including:

tire easily
fatigue
dizziness
malaise [nonspecific feeling of not feeling well]
fever, very low grade temperature elevations

There will also be the symptoms from whatever autoimmune disease are present as well.

TREATMENT
The goals of treatment are to reduce symptoms and control the autoimmune process while maintaining the ability to fight disease. The symptoms are treated according to the type and severity.

Autoimmunity is controlled through balanced suppression of the immune system. The goal is to reduce the immune response against normal body tissue while leaving intact the immune response against microorganisms and abnormal tissues. Steroids and immunosuppressant medications are used to reduce the immune response

MY POINT of VIEW
Some 16 days after I married my husband we were told I had PGA Failure. The endocrinologist handed me a sheet of paper and told me I would get all of the diseases listed. I was horrified!

We later learned that it wasn't quite like that and that he [the doctor] was being treated for a brain tumor that later killed him so I have no idea if he was fully functioning.

Anyway, since that time I have been diagnosed with numerous autoimmune diseases and still may get some more... but I keep plugging along.

2000 UPDATE
Only one new disease diagnosed... Meniere's Disease.

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You are listening to Memories from the musical Cats, written by
Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S. Eliot. I felt this song was a perfect selection
for this site because of the affiliation I feel with Grizabella. Although for her,
it was age and not health issues that changed her, neither of us are who we
were before, on the outside, and it can affect how we feel on the inside.