If you are looking for autoimmune disease information, FastMed Urgent Care’s team of trained medical professionals in Phoenix, AZ can assist you with the answers and the care you need.
In short, an autoimmune disorder is when the body’s immune system essentially turns on itself and begins attacking the body instead of protecting itself. There are at least 60 different types of known autoimmune diseases that affect around 50 million Americans—the majority being women— and some of these include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and psoriasis among others.
Additional autoimmune disease information
When it comes to an autoimmune disease, information is critical for early detection. Here are some important things to know about autoimmune diseases.
- Autoimmune disease can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms are fairly general and come on slow. These include fatigue, mild fevers, joint or muscle pain, weight loss, depression or difficulty concentrating.
- Autoimmune diseases can be genetic, so if your parents suffer from one, the likelihood increases that you will too.
- Autoimmune diseases often sit dormant inside the body until an outside agency sparks the process of it attacking the body. These outside agencies could be an exposure to certain chemicals, foods or infections.
- Although most autoimmune diseases are chronic, they are rarely fatal.
- Because there is such a broad range of autoimmune diseases, treatment varies across the board. A bone marrow transplant is the most extreme measure and is often only performed after all other treatments have failed.
Diagnosing an autoimmune disease begins with a physical exam and blood tests. FastMed has nine locations throughout the Phoenix, AZ area including two new facilities on East Thunderbird Road and West Indian Road with on-site labs and blood testing capability.
Get the autoimmune disease information you need with FastMed.
About FastMed
FastMed is a North Carolina-based integrated healthcare company based in Durham, NC. It operates more than 50 locations in 34 counties providing urgent care and occupational health as well as primary care at select locations. FastMed accepts most insurance plans and is one of a few private urgent care centers also accredited by The Joint Commission. Learn more at fastmed.com.