What causes our defense to attack the body’s own structures is not entirely clear. But: In addition to the individual predisposition, environmental influences should also be involved.
Constanze Loeffler
Which factors are particularly important when it comes to autoimmune diseases? “I like to talk about the ‘soup’ of environmental factors that damage us. And in the city, the soup is particularly thick,” says Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, environmental doctor at the University of Augsburg. Particulate matter, noise and stress have an unfavorable effect. A study showed that residents of regions with higher particulate matter concentrations were more likely to suffer from autoimmune diseases. Every increase of ten micrograms of fine dust per cubic meter of air increased their risk by seven percent.
Source: Stern
