Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Consultation Hours

An autoimmune disease is a disease in which the cells of the immune system attack the body's own structures. The white blood cells, the leukocytes, are responsible for the defence against pathogens such as bacteria or viruses.

Sometimes there are misregulations in this complex system, and the immune system directs its defence reaction against its own body. Ultimately, all organs can be affected by such an autoimmune reaction.

At our MEDIZINICUM Hamburg, our team of 75 experienced doctors from 30 medical specialties work together on an interdisciplinary basis to take a holistic view of your symptoms and make an accurate diagnosis.

Autoimmune disease and rheumatology

Classically, the term autoimmune disease is often associated with the specialist field of rheumatology, since rheumatic diseases (inflammatory joint diseases, collagenosis, vasculitis) are almost exclusively autoimmune diseases. But other specialist areas also have to deal with autoimmune diseases. Examples are the inflammatory bowel diseases Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis from gastroenterology and the inflammatory thyroid diseases Hashimotothyreoditis and Graves' disease from endocrinology.

The Difficult Diagnosis

Unclear disease symptoms such as recurrent fever episodes, chronic fatigue, joint pain and chronically increased inflammatory values are regularly the cause of autoimmune diseases. The diagnosis is often difficult, especially if it is an underlying disease with various diffuse symptoms. In the context of an unclear inflammatory constellation, it is therefore worthwhile to search specifically for a possible autoimmune disease.

In our autoimmune consultation at the Hamburg MEDIZINICUM, our experts systematically analyse your individual medical history and plan targeted diagnostics. Since the majority of autoimmune diseases are rheumatic diseases, the analysis in the autoimmune consultation is carried out by our rheumatological colleagues. However, if there are indications of non-rheumatic autoimmune diseases, the corresponding experts from the other specialties are consulted.

Our autoimmune diagnostics

Numerous autoimmune diseases leave traces in the blood in the form of so-called autoantibodies. We analyse these values ourselves in our in-house laboratory with great and long-standing expertise. As all organs can potentially be affected by autoimmune diseases, we offer complete diagnostic possibilities of organ screening. Our highly specialized radiology department with a comprehensive range of CT and MRT as well as digital X-ray procedures deserves special mention here.