One in 10 people in UK affected by autoimmune disorders – study

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Our study highlights the considerable burden that autoimmune diseases place upon individuals and the wider population Professor Geraldine Cambridge, University College London Senior author of the paper, Professor Geraldine Cambridge, from University College London, said: “Our study highlights the considerable burden that autoimmune diseases place upon individuals and the wider population. A team of experts across the UK analysed health records from 22 million people to investigate 19 of the most common autoimmune diseases. We observed that some autoimmune diseases tended to co-occur with one another more commonly than would be expected by chance or increased surveillance alone Dr Nathalie Conrad, first author of the paper Results also indicate factors such as smoking, obesity or stress may contribute to the development of some autoimmune diseases. First author of the paper, Dr Nathalie Conrad, from the Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, who is also affiliated with the University of Glasgow, said: “We observed that some autoimmune diseases tended to co-occur with one another more commonly than would be expected by chance or increased surveillance alone.