reports of other autoimmune disorders following GCA?

[pugrescue]

Sorry this may be a bit lengthy.... In fall of 2018 I was dx with severe dry eye, followed a few months later with severe dry mouth. I was 67 at the time and had never had any illness of any sort in my life. From symptoms, drs thought Sjogrens, a autoimmune disease. While having a lip biopsy for that, I complained about recent and SEVERE headaches, jaw pain etc. I was dx in March 2019 with GCA and started on 50mg pred. GCA symptoms pretty much resolved quite soon, except for jaw pain and still had dry eye. Tapered off pred in Nov 2020. Still taking restasis for eyes, but felt pretty good, and base cortisol in Feb was good. Now I am once again losing weight, sleeping way more than normal, jaw pain remains, but now have white splotches all over my hands. From research it looks like Vitiligo....yet another autoimmune problem. Has anyone had just one thing after another? I have a call in for a dr consultation for next wk. Here in Canada, we still cannot visit the clinic etc. unless we go to emergency. While these white patches on my hands are certainly not an emergency, the pics I have seen once it spreads to the face......would not be able to bear it. Just when I thought I was free of it all, and ready to go back to my "normal" life, this has hit me pretty hard. Any advice form anyone on if they encountered other autoimmune conditions and how it was handled/treated would be greatly appreciated.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Anyone who has one autoimmune disorder is at greater risk of developing another than someone wihout an a/i illness. It's not fair - but I suppose there is a genetic tendency in people who develop a/i disease and no-one said life is fair ...

[SnazzyD]

Autoimmune conditions often bring friends. I guess it stands to reason that if your body has a propensity to attack it’s own tissues of one type, there is the possibility of it going for another. There are quite a few people here with more than one and it looks like they are dealt with according to which is shouting loudest.

[benhemp]

Perhaps low dose naltrexone may help. This article says it may help vitiligo, among other autoimmune diseases:

ldnresearchtrust.org/can-lo...