The collective term collagenosis refers to a group of connective tissue diseases. These are autoimmune diseases, i.e. the body's immune system attacks its own body cells. This results in chronic inflammation. Collagenoses can be mild, but can also result in severe organ damage. Another technical term for this disparate group of diseases is collagenopathies.
Here you will find further information as well as selected collagenosis specialists and centers.
Collagenoses are autoimmune diseases. This means that the body classifies the body's own tissue as foreign and, in response, produces antibodies that attack this tissue. In the case of collagenopathies, the target of the attack is the connective tissue and the blood vessels. As connective and supporting tissue is found almost everywhere in the body, in principle all organs can be affected by the disease.
The autoimmune processes cause chronic inflammation in the body.
Generally, significantly more women than men suffer from these autoimmune diseases. Depending on the disease, the ratio is up to 9:1.
Collagenoses include, among others
Diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma are rather rare overall. The annual incidences are as follows:
The clinical pictures of collagenopathies are very complex and varied. Nevertheless, there are various general symptoms that occur more frequently in patients with collagenoses. These include
Depending on the organ manifestation, further symptoms may occur.
These include
indicate kidney involvement.
If the nervous system is affected, this can lead to
can occur. In some patients, coagulation disorders or other blood disorders also occur. The consequences are
Each collagenosis also has certain classification criteria.
Lupus erythematosus, for example, is characterized by skin changes such as butterfly erythema or a particular sensitivity to light.
Sicca symptoms such as pronounced dry mouth and dry eyes are characteristic of Sjögren's syndrome. This reduction in tear fluid can be checked using a specific test.
Scleroderma is often characterized by muscle pain and rigid, waxy skin. It results in stiff facial expressions.
The course of the individual diseases is very variable. There are very mild forms that hardly affect the lives of those affected.
However, there are also courses of the disease with severe or even life-threatening organ involvement: Patients can develop irreversible organ damage, which represents a considerable burden of disease.
It has not yet been clarified why the immune system suddenly turns against the body's own structures.
It is assumed that genetic factors as well as internal and external triggers may play a role. For example, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus show increased activity of interferon type I (immune protein).
In many collagenoses, there is also a connection between the onset of the disease and fluctuations in the hormone balance. For example, an above-average number of women fall ill after the menopause or after pregnancy. Also
can also act as triggers.
The majority of collagenosis patients have organ-unspecific antinuclear antibodies. However, it is still unclear whether these are the cause or consequence of the disease. The antibodies damage the body's cells, causing them to die. The decay of the cells not only leads to an inflammatory immune reaction, but also to further production of antinuclear antibodies.
The remaining cell nuclei and the autoantibodies combine to form immune complexes. These are deposited in organs or blood vessels, among other places. This results in further autoimmunological processes with inflammatory reactions and damage to the affected structures.
A causal treatment of collagenoses is not possible. This means that the individual diseases cannot be cured.
However, various treatment methods are available to alleviate the symptoms and prevent secondary damage. In most cases, the focus is on suppressing the immune system and weakening the inflammatory reactions.
For this purpose, drugs from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are mainly used for milder courses of the disease. Well-known active ingredients from this group of drugs are ibuprofen or diclofenac. Many patients also receive the active ingredient chloroquine, which is mainly used worldwide in the treatment and prophylaxis of malaria.
The main indications for rheumatic diseases are skin symptoms and joint pain. If no improvement can be achieved with these drugs, immunosuppressive drugs such as azathioprine or cyclophosphamide are usually given.
These drugs sometimes have a massive effect and can also cause undesirable side effects. The dose is therefore gradually increased.
In particularly severe cases, the additional administration of cytostatic drugs such as methotrexate may be necessary. Depending on the severity of the disease, individual drugs are combined with each other.
The strong immunosuppression in the treatment of collagenoses often leads to an increased susceptibility to infections. Even simple illnesses can be life-threatening, meaning that treatment with antibiotics may be indicated even for banal bacterial infections.
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