Please login to post a response.

• RP / Autoimmune disease
• Posted: 2008-02-05 16:26:50 By AM N
• Hello everyone,
  
  There are some theories floating around out there that RP could be an autoimmune disease.
  
  What do you think? Before you dismiss the idea remember ulcers were only recently discovered to be an infection and treatable with antibiotics. This went against popular belief and science at the time.
  
  Do any RPers have an autoimmune disease (arthritis, rheumatoid, lupus, sjogrens, etc.) that started before the age of 50? I chose the age 50 because arthritis is considered autoimmune but it is also becomes more prevalent as we age.
  
  Of course this is not a scientific survey; I am just curious and would love to hear your feedback.
  
  Thanks.
  
  Anna Marie

• Re: RP / Autoimmune disease
• Posted: 2008-02-05 18:20:08 By Darran Z
• Anna Marie,
  
  I have read a few of these. I'm not sure there is alot of evidence to support this since these seem to be more isolated cases. Could it be the double hand playing both of these to one person? Likely. But the papers I've read have been relatively few and within the same family of multiple members who have RP and autoimmune disease.
  
  Darran

• Re: RP / Autoimmune disease
• Posted: 2008-02-05 23:34:59 By Mark L
• I have arthritis and really figured out that I had RP after I had a major arthritis attack about 1 year ago.

• Re: Re: RP / Autoimmune disease
• Posted: 2008-02-05 23:56:33 By Stephanie R
• I don't know how likely I think this theory is but I will say that I also have XLCRD and Multiple Sclerosis (which is another autoimmune disease). My Dad had XLCRD and Rheumatoid Arthritis from an early age. My instinct is to say it is just coincidence but who knows I guess? I hadn't heard of it until your post.
  

• Re: RP / Autoimmune disease
• Posted: 2008-02-06 20:51:27 By Beth M
• I have RP and Graves' disease. Both my brothers also have both diseases as well.
  Who knows? My brothers and myself are the only ones out of 6 who have RP and or Graves'
  Beth

• RP / Autoimmune disease
• Posted: 2008-02-07 12:37:02 By AM N
• Thanks for all the replies. I guess having RP and an autoimmune disease is not as rare of a phenomenon as I once thought.
  
  Mark, Stephanie, and Beth thanks for sharing such an private part of yourself. It is appreciated. Have you ever asked your doctors if they think there could be a link?
  
  Anna Marie

• Re: RP / Autoimmune disease
• Posted: 2008-02-07 18:56:18 By carolina s
• Hey AM !!!
  Yes I have heard that theory before and I remember asking that question to an MD and the answer was possible but unlikely . The problem with that theory is that there are so many people that have some type of auto-inmune disorders , it can something as simple as an allergy , dermatitis to more serious like Lupus or MS. Sooooo.... it would not be unusual to find RP'rs that have some other condition related to the inmmune system besides rp.
  Anyhow, There is or was a clinical Trial for RP going somewhere ( I THINK Europe ) that is using cyclosporine ? ( anti-rejection drug used after transplants ) and you may want to research that further.
  Talk to you soon !
  Carolina

• Re: Re: RP / Autoimmune disease
• Posted: 2008-02-10 19:53:52 By Michelle W
• Our daughter has vitiligo, the disease that causes loss of pigment. There are several papers on the link between vitiligo, which is an autoimmune disease, and other autoimmune diseases such as Grave's, Addison's and diabetes. There are also several papers on people with vitiligo who also have RP and that paper mentioned that RP is an autoimmune disease. Michelle

• Re: Re: Re: RP / Autoimmune disease
• Posted: 2008-03-05 07:08:21 By julia b
• I find the theory really interesting.It makes me wonder if taking Vit A works better for some people than others because of it's immune supressing properties and nothing to do with an actual lack of vit A or a problem with it's absorption,
  Julia