Obviously I know someone and I have AI. I can think of 5 people I know: my dad, my brother, Bill's Godmother, my MIL's best friend, and the art teacher from the school where I used to teach. Oh-my neighbor's mom also.

I am the youngest of everyone I know who has AI-but my brother (who has vitiligo-there is some debate about it, but it is generally classified as AI) was diagnosed in high school.

Anyway, just curious.

My SIL (best friend my whole life) has rheumatoid arthritis. She is 27 and has had it (diagnosed) for a few years. I suspect it was showing itself as early as high school - she has had instances of hair loss that they thought might be related to lupus but has only been diagnosed with RA.

Her family has quite a few - her uncle and aunt both has alopecia (is that an AI disease?) and her other uncle is in remission from non-hodgkins lymphoma (prob not an AI but it's interesting and not in a good way how many have been affected in her close family.)

My sister has Crohn's(did I spell that right?). It was diagnosed after having her second child. For the longest time they told her she had IBS.

Yes I know many people with an AI disorder.  I have Hashimotos too.

myself, mom, tons of relatives.

we have thyroid, lupus, ms, RA, diabetes in our family.

Juni wrote:

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Is diabetes an AI disorder? My dad has diabetes.

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Type 1 is, or can be.  There has been some debate about it in the medical field, but it is becoming more commonly accepted as AI-so whereas my body sees my colon as an invader and attacks it, with type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas.

Type 2, which is what is much more common and predominant, is NOT autoimmune.

There are many problems like that-like thyroid issues can be autoimmune (which is called Hashimoto's, as Jennie and Michele have), but they aren't always.

There are SO many out there.  People tend to automatically think of RA, Crohns and MS, but there are literally hundreds.  Celiac, graves, addison's, the list goes on and on.