Autoimmune Endocrine Diseases
The immune system’s mission is to defend the body from viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Despite this, the body sometimes operates the opposite way and starts to attack healthy parts of the body. This is called autoimmune disease and develops when the system cannot distinguish healthy cells from unhealthy ones.
The conditions associated with autoimmune diseases are among the most severe, together with cancer and cardiovascular diseases. There are about 80 different autoimmune diseases.
Karolinska University Hospital offers a highly skilled medical unit for patients with autoimmune diseases. We are on the frontline of today’s research in the area and have had great success in diagnosing and treating patients.
Patients with congenital and acquired forms of adrenal disorders, such as Grave’s disease, Addison’s disease, autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome 1, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and adrenal tumors/hyperplasias, are assessed and treated by a highly skilled unit at Karolinska. The outpatient care includes education group meetings for patients treated with glucocorticoid substitution therapy. We collaborate closely with the department of endocrine surgery, clinical genetics, radiology, nuclear medicine, and clinical pathology around patients with adrenal tumors. We frequently head and participate in international research studies
