Celebrities can seem untouchable due to their high status in society, but many famous people live with autoimmune diseases, just like so many non-famous people. In fact, one in five Americans is living with an autoimmune disease, according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) — and autoimmune diseases don’t discriminate based on a person’s level of awareness.
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A 2019 study compiled by AARDA found that “More than 100 autoimmune diseases affect 50 million Americans every day, [and] 75% of those affected are women.” Johns Hopkins Medicine defines an autoimmune disease as “when the body’s natural defenses cannot distinguish between your own cells and foreign cells, resulting in the body mistakenly attacking normal cells.” Of the well-known autoimmune diseases, type 1 diabetes, lupus, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis are some of the most common.
While most autoimmune diseases are chronic, Mount Sinai claims they can be managed with treatment that can include immunosuppressive drugs to reduce the immune system’s abnormal response, supplements to replace what the body is lacking (like insulin for diabetics), blood transfusions , and physical therapy.
Venus Williams, who lives with Sjogren’s syndrome, gave encouragement to others living with chronic illnesses in a 2019 interview with Prevention. “Don’t get discouraged, because what [you’re] The traversal is similar to other people’s,” the tennis icon said. “Talk to the people who understand you or have a similar condition, reach out and build one up [support] Team. Don’t isolate yourself. Do not give up.”
From Selma Blair to Morgan Freeman, read on to learn more about celebs who have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and how chronic illness has impacted their lives.
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