Autoimmune Disease Treatment: Standard Care and Stem Cell Therapy Explained

What is autoimmune disease?

In an autoimmune disease, the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. There are many types, affecting joints, skin, nerves, glands, blood vessels and organs. Many are more common in women, and most involve a mix of genetic and environmental triggers. The US National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and MedlinePlus give a good general overview.

Autoimmune diseases usually run a long course with flares and calmer periods. Most can be controlled with modern treatment, but there is no single cure for any of them.

This page is an overview. For detail on a specific condition, use the guides below.

Guides by condition

Condition	What the immune system attacks	Guide
Rheumatoid arthritis	Joint lining, causing swelling and joint damage	Rheumatoid arthritis treatment
Systemic lupus erythematosus	Many tissues, including skin, joints and kidneys	Lupus treatment
Multiple sclerosis	The protective coating of nerves in the brain and spinal cord	Multiple sclerosis and stem cells

Other autoimmune conditions include type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune thyroid disease and systemic sclerosis.

Note on diabetes: Type 2 diabetes is not an autoimmune disease. It is driven mainly by insulin resistance. It is listed on our site separately and should not be confused with autoimmune type 1 diabetes.

How is autoimmune disease diagnosed?

Diagnosis depends on the condition and usually needs a specialist such as a rheumatologist, neurologist or endocrinologist. Common steps include:

• Symptoms and examination
• Blood tests for autoantibodies (for example ANA, rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP, anti-dsDNA)
• Inflammation markers such as CRP and ESR
• Imaging, such as joint ultrasound or brain and spinal MRI in MS
• Sometimes a biopsy

If you already have these reports, you can send them for a doctor review.

Standard autoimmune disease treatment

Standard care is essential and should never be replaced. It is tailored to the disease and the organs involved.

1. Disease-modifying medicines. For example methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis, hydroxychloroquine in lupus, and disease-modifying therapies in MS.
2. Corticosteroids for flares, at the lowest effective dose.
3. Immunosuppressants such as mycophenolate or azathioprine.
4. Biologic and targeted therapies, including TNF inhibitors, B-cell therapies, JAK inhibitors and others, depending on the condition.
5. Supportive care: physiotherapy, vaccinations, bone and heart health, and treatment of complications.

The NHS pages on rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis describe standard care for each.

Stem cell therapy for autoimmune disease: three different things

“Stem cell therapy” is used for very different treatments. Understanding the difference protects you from misleading claims.

	Autologous HSCT	CAR-T cell therapy	Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)
What it is	Chemotherapy to remove much of the immune system, then your own blood stem cells are returned	Engineered immune cells that target B cells	Infusion of stromal cells that may calm immune activity
Setting	Specialist transplant hospitals	Specialist hospitals, mainly clinical trials for autoimmune disease	Clinics and research centres
Evidence	Strongest in selected highly active relapsing MS; also used in severe systemic sclerosis at specialist centres	Striking early results in small studies, especially lupus	Small, mostly early-stage studies with mixed results
Main risks	Serious infection, chemotherapy side effects, treatment-related death (uncommon)	Cytokine release syndrome, neurological effects, infections	Infusion reactions, infection, unknown long-term effects
Offered by our clinic	No	No	Assessed case by case, as an experimental option

HSCT

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) is a hospital procedure carried out by transplant haematologists working with neurologists or rheumatologists. European guidelines describe its use in carefully selected people with MS and other immune-mediated neurological diseases (EBMT, 2020). It is not part of our programs. If you might be a candidate, ask your specialist about referral to a transplant centre.

CAR-T

CAR-T therapy for autoimmune disease is being studied in clinical trials. It requires hospital care and is not offered by our clinic. See our immune cell therapy page for how CAR-T differs from other cell treatments, and search ClinicalTrials.gov for trials.

Mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stromal cells can influence immune cells in the laboratory, which led to trials in rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, MS, Crohn’s disease and others. Results so far are mixed: some open-label studies report improvements, while controlled trials have often shown smaller or no added benefit. Reviewers have described the field as promising but unproven (Nat Rev Rheumatol, 2014). MSC-based approaches for autoimmune disease should be considered experimental, and a doctor will advise whether they are reasonable for you. Our stem cell therapy page explains how MSCs are prepared and given, and exosome therapy is at an earlier research stage.

Regulatory status

No mesenchymal stem cell product is approved for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or MS by the US FDA, Australia’s TGA or the UK MHRA. The FDA warns about unapproved stem cell treatments. Patients from the US, UK and Australia should discuss clinical trials with their specialist first. Some choose Thailand, where licensed doctors may provide MSC treatments under Thai regulation.

Who may be considered, and who should not

May be considered for assessment:

• A confirmed autoimmune diagnosis under the care of a specialist
• Stable disease on standard treatment, with ongoing symptoms
• Recent blood tests and specialist letters available
• Willingness to continue all prescribed medicines

Not suitable:

• Active, organ-threatening disease or a current severe flare
• Active infection, including untreated hepatitis or tuberculosis
• Pregnancy or planning pregnancy soon
• Active cancer
• Anyone wanting to stop standard treatment
• People who may qualify for HSCT or a clinical trial and have not yet discussed this with their specialist

Risks

• Infusion reactions such as fever, chills or headache
• Infection, especially alongside immunosuppressive medicines
• Blood clots
• Triggering a flare through travel stress or infection
• Unknown long-term effects
• No improvement

Cells are prepared in ISO 9001:2015-certified partner laboratories.

Next steps

1. Read the guide for your condition above.
2. Gather your specialist letters, blood tests, imaging and medication list.
3. Send them via WhatsApp for a free doctor review. The doctor may advise staying with standard care, or asking about HSCT or a trial instead.
4. Read how it works for the full journey.

Sources

• NIAMS (NIH): Autoimmune diseases
• MedlinePlus: Autoimmune diseases
• NHS: Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Multiple sclerosis
• Sharrack B, et al. Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and other cellular therapy in multiple sclerosis and immune-mediated neurological diseases: updated EBMT guidelines. Bone Marrow Transplant, 2020.
• Mesenchymal stem cell treatments in rheumatology: a glass half full? Nat Rev Rheumatol, 2014.
• U.S. FDA: Consumer Alert on Regenerative Medicine Products Including Stem Cells and Exosomes