Experiencias del cuerpo en personas con enfermedades autoinmunes

Abstract

Objetive: the objective of this study was to analyze the bodily changes experienced by people with autoimmune diseases. Nowadays, there are not many studies that show the changes that people with this type of disease experience in their bodies. Method: To analyze the phenomenon, five unstructured interviews were conducted with people diagnosed with gastric autoimmune diseases from a clinic in Medellin city. The data was analyzed using the phenomenological-hermeneutic method, which allowed an in-depth exploration of the patients bodily experiences and an analysis through the interpretation of their meanings. Results: Three categories and six subcategories of analysis were identified, which were integrated using a qualitative framework. Based on this and the theory used for its construction, a proposal was presented on how people with autoimmune diseases experience their body during the course of the disease. Conclusión: A deep insight was given into the body experiences of the five patients at the time of diagnosis, adaptation, and acceptance of the illness. Changes in patients' body experiences before and after the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease were compared, and finally, a qualitative scheme was proposed as a useful tool that served to understand the complexity of body experiences. As a limitation, it is noted that autoimmune diseases can affect different organs, so there is heterogeneity in the diseases, and therefore people may describe their symptoms in different ways or have different levels of awareness of their bodily experiences, making it difficult to establish a unified approach.