Does autoimmune mean more vulnerable?

I'm still trying to figure this all out. I get that autoimmune means my body is basically attacking itself and my immune system isn't functioning properly - but does this mean we're inherently susceptible to other types of infection?

The reason I ask is, today a plumbing pipe broke in our basement (approx 100 unit building). Who knows what was in there. Although I didn't walk through the water, it was spilling out the pipes like a waterfall. The entire basement smelled like poop. We had to walk through the basement to get to our car. I do worry about coming in contact with sick people or other bacteria. Worried about breathing in bad stuff.

I am a lot more paranoid these days, that's for sure.

"I get that autoimmune means my body is basically attacking itself and my immune system isn't functioning properly"

Part truth part dogma.

There are several ways autoimmunity can occur but lets look at one of the most basic. Parasites that have a predilection for certain tissues have a tendency to evolve antigens that "look" like the tissue they infect. The point of this is to masquerade as self-tissue and induce tolerance in circulating lymphocytes. The consequence of breaking tolerance is that b-cells and t-cells that attack the bacteria also bind and cause damage to human tissues that "look alike". This is a form of biomimicry much like a stick mantis that evolves to look like sticks. So in the case of Lyme for example OspA cross reacts immunologically to neural and synovial antigens since these are the tissues that Borrelia likes to hide in. In an ideal case Borrelia remains invisible and no problems occur. If not tolerated by the immune system then antibodies and t-cells will attack both the Borrelia and the nerves/joints since it can not distinguish them.

So basically this is just one mechanism by which many infections cause symptoms. There is no point in looking at autoimmunity as a separate disease complex from Lyme. It is not an "immune dysfunction". In fact, it's a pretty good sign your immune system is killing off some things and compromising your tissue for the sake of controlling an infection. The infections on the other hand, do induce immune dysfunction because that is how they survive. So yes you should certainly be careful in potentially hazardous environments. I call Lyme "aids-lite". I have certainly picked up some things traveling and what not that I used to never get. And I've become more sensitive to certain exposures that used to not bother me. I also don't get obsessive about cleanliness though. But a wet basement is breeding grounds for mold and there is nothing healthy about that. But this is more of something your infection is going to predispose you to. It doesn't have much to do with the autoimmunity itself which is just a particular nuance of your natural inflammatory response caught in an awkward circumstance

yes autoimmune means an army attacking a non existent target, like say your nerves. that creates confusion because any war starts fires (inflammation) and in fire you cannot shoot things properly, and fire tends to damage more than just the enemy.

so yes, it's bad, autoimmune means
- damage to tissues - because of the inflammation
- predisposition for cancer - because your immune system instead of removing cancer cells (which pop out and are killed in healthy people every couple of months) will fight other fights
- predisposition to infections - same thing, the army is busy with something else and it does not have strength/focus to fight real invaders

I'm still trying to get a grasp on this topic. I know there is no clear cut answer but..

Do autoimmune diseases allow us to be predisposed to persistent infections? as mpost suggests " the army is busy with something else and it does not have strength/focus to fight real invaders".

Or do infections allow for autoimmune diseases to arise through molecular mimicry or some other mechanism?