Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome Treatment Options

The immune system in the body is supposed to fight off harmful bacteria and other microbes, but when something goes wrong, the immune system can mistakenly attack healthy tissue in the body. When a person has an autoimmune disorder, they can suffer from a wide range of unpleasant symptoms. Autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes are a collection of rare autoimmune diseases that attack the endocrine organs. 

Symptoms include a wide range of problems like fatigue, irregular bowel movements, abnormal heart rates, unhealthy weight changes, and other abnormalities. Treating autoimmune conditions can be quite difficult because you need to manage the symptoms while also calming the overactive immune system. If you have an autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome, there are numerous different treatment options available.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

The endocrine organs are organs that produce important hormones throughout the body. When a person has an autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome, their reproductive organs, thyroid, pituitary, or hypothalamus glands may be repeatedly damaged by immune system activity. This can make it hard for these organs to properly produce the hormones the body needs. Patients may end up dealing with hypothyroidism, delayed puberty, or other issues, and hormone replacement therapy may be needed to treat these issues. 

This form of treatment involves regularly taking pills, wearing patches, or having injections containing the hormones the body needs to function properly. It can help to alleviate problems like lack of growth, fatigue, nausea, and low blood pressure. Finding the perfect balance of hormones can be somewhat difficult because each person responds differently to various hormone levels.