Autoimmune Diseases: A Growing but Underdiagnosed Challenge in India
Autoimmune diseases affect an estimated 40 to 50 million people in India, making them one of the country's most significant yet frequently overlooked healthcare burdens. Despite their prevalence, the majority of patients, particularly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities like Moradabad, spend months or even years receiving incorrect diagnoses before reaching the right specialist.
The reasons are several: autoimmune diseases are complex, their symptoms often mimic other common conditions, and qualified Rheumatologists, the specialists best equipped to diagnose and manage them, are concentrated in large metropolitan centres. For residents of Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Amroha, Bijnor, and surrounding districts of western Uttar Pradesh, accessing subspecialty-level autoimmune care has historically meant expensive, time-consuming travel to Delhi or Lucknow.
Jigyasa Hospital, Moradabad has changed that reality. With Dr. Kriti Kishore, a dedicated Rheumatologist, now practicing at Jigyasa Hospital, patients across the region can access world-class autoimmune disease treatment in Moradabad without leaving home.
Meet Dr. Kriti Kishore – Autoimmune Disease Specialist at Jigyasa Hospital
Dr. Kriti Kishore is Jigyasa Hospital's Consultant Rheumatologist and one of the very few subspecialty-trained autoimmune disease specialists practising in Moradabad.
Clinical Profile
Specialty: Rheumatology, the medical subspecialty dedicated to autoimmune and musculoskeletal diseases
Hospital: Jigyasa Hospital, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Core Expertise: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogren's Syndrome, Vasculitis, Myositis, Scleroderma, Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, and the full spectrum of autoimmune conditions
Dr. Kishore's Clinical Philosophy
Autoimmune diseases are among the most diagnostically challenging conditions in all of medicine. They are chronic, systemic, and deeply individual. No two patients experience them in quite the same way. Dr. Kriti Kishore approaches each patient with rigorous diagnostic discipline and genuine empathy.
She understands that patients arriving at her clinic have often already endured a long, frustrating diagnostic odyssey, cycles of unexplained symptoms, incomplete tests, and generic treatment that provided no lasting relief. Her goal is to end that uncertainty: to provide a clear, accurate diagnosis, explain it in understandable terms, and build a realistic, personalised long-term management plan.
Dr. Kishore is equally attentive to the psychological and social dimensions of autoimmune disease, the anxiety, grief, and identity disruption that often accompany a life-changing diagnosis, and incorporates this understanding into every consultation.
What Is an Autoimmune Disease? Understanding the Basics
The human immune system is, under normal circumstances, a precisely calibrated defence network. It distinguishes between self, the body's own cells and tissues, and non-self, pathogens and foreign proteins, and attacks only the latter.
In autoimmune disease, this fundamental recognition fails. The immune system misidentifies the body's own tissues as threats and launches sustained inflammatory attacks against them. Depending on which tissues are targeted, the resulting disease can manifest in profoundly different ways, from joint inflammation and skin rashes to kidney failure, heart disease, and neurological dysfunction.
Autoantibodies: The immune system in autoimmune disease produces abnormal antibodies directed against the body's own cells.
Systemic vs. Organ-Specific: Some autoimmune diseases target a single organ, while others are systemic and affect multiple organ systems simultaneously.
Flares and Remissions: Most autoimmune diseases follow a relapsing-remitting course. Treatment aims to achieve sustained remission and minimise flares.
Chronicity: Autoimmune diseases are lifelong conditions, but they can be effectively controlled with the right specialist management.
How the Immune System Turns Against the Body
Understanding the mechanism helps patients make sense of their condition and treatment.
In conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus, the immune system releases inflammatory proteins called cytokines that drive ongoing tissue damage. The joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, blood vessels, and nervous system can all be affected depending on the disease.
Genetic predisposition: Certain HLA gene variants are strongly associated with specific autoimmune diseases.
Hormonal factors: Autoimmune diseases are significantly more common in women, pointing to a role for sex hormones in immune regulation.
Infectious triggers: Certain viral and bacterial infections can trigger autoimmune responses in genetically susceptible individuals.
Environmental factors: UV radiation, smoking, gut microbiome disruption, and chronic stress have all been implicated.
Epigenetic modifications: Changes in gene expression without changes to DNA sequence may activate dormant autoimmune susceptibility.
Treatment Options
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Comprehensive evaluation and long-term management for lupus patients with organ-specific and systemic involvement.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Specialist treatment for joint inflammation, stiffness, flares, and progressive disease control.
Sjögren's Syndrome
Diagnosis and care for dry eyes, dry mouth, fatigue, and associated autoimmune features.
Vasculitis and Myositis
Advanced management of complex autoimmune inflammation involving blood vessels and muscles.
Long-Term Follow-Up
Validated disease monitoring, lab review, and medication adjustment over time.
Multidisciplinary Care
Coordinated support with other specialists when kidneys, lungs, heart, or nerves are involved.
Book Your Consultation
If you or a family member are experiencing unexplained fatigue, persistent joint pain, skin changes, dry eyes, recurring fever, or any combination of symptoms that point toward autoimmune disease, do not wait for symptoms to worsen.
Address
Near Miglani Cinema, Rampur Road, Moradabad 244001
Phone
+91-7900903333Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between a Rheumatologist and a general physician for autoimmune disease?
A Rheumatologist has completed subspecialty training specifically in autoimmune and musculoskeletal diseases. For confirmed or suspected autoimmune disease, a Rheumatologist is the appropriate specialist.
Can autoimmune diseases be permanently cured?
Most autoimmune diseases cannot be permanently cured with current medical science. However, many patients achieve sustained remission with proper treatment.
Are autoimmune diseases hereditary?
Genetic factors contribute to autoimmune disease risk, but having a family member with an autoimmune condition does not guarantee you will develop one.
Is it safe to have children with an autoimmune disease?
Many women with autoimmune diseases have healthy pregnancies with proper specialist management. Timing conception during remission and close monitoring are important.
How long will I need to take immunosuppressive medications?
This depends on the specific disease, severity, and treatment response. Some patients need long-term maintenance therapy while others may taper during sustained remission.
Why Patients Choose Us
- 24/7 Emergency & Trauma Care
- Top Specialist Doctors
- Modern ICU & Operation Theatres
- Transparent & Affordable Pricing
- Ayushman Bharat Empanelled
- Cashless Insurance Support
- Multispeciality Under One Roof
Our Location
Near Miglani Cinema,
Rampur Road,
Moradabad 244001