What is Lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect various body parts, including:
- brain
- heart
- blood
- lungs
- kidneys
- skin
- joints
In an autoimmune disorder, the immune system cannot tell the difference between its own cells and tissues and foreign bodies. This inability to differentiate causes the body to produce antibodies to fight off anything, including healthy cells and tissues.
What are the Symptoms of Lupus?
Lupus has been known as the great imitator, because it tends to mock other illnesses. Some of the symptoms that have been linked to Lupus patients are:
- Skin Rashes (particularly a butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose)
- Persistent fever of more than 100 degrees F
- Pain and swelling in joints/arthritis
- Extreme fatigue
- Unexplained seizure disorders
- Sensitivity to sun or light
- Fingers turning blue or white in the cold (known as Reynaud's phenomenon)
- Pleurisy (pain in the chest on breathing)
- Kidney problems
- Blood Clotting inability/Anemia
- Hair loss
What are the chances of having Lupus?
According to the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA):
Anyone can get Lupus. But 9 out of 10 people who have it are women. African American women are three times more likely to get Lupus than Caucasian women. It's also more common in Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Native Alaskan women.
How is Lupus diagnosed?
To date, there is no guaranteed way to diagnose Lupus. In actuality, it is one of the most difficult disorders to diagnose. Doctors typically rely on symptoms. They will usually run a series of lab work. One lab test in particular, an ANA (Anti-Nuclear Antibodies), can help them try to determine if your system is in fact producing too many antibodies.
How many types of Lupus are there?
There are four types of Lupus:
- Discoid (cutaneous), in which the Lupus is limited to the skin
- Neonatal, in which maternal autoantibodies are passed to the infant
- Drug-induced, which can occur after the use of certain prescribed drugs (rare)
- Systemic, which can affect multiple internal and external body systems
How is Lupus treated?
Because Lupus is such a complex disorder, and its symptoms can vary from patient to patient, treatment is targeted to each patient's specific symptoms.
Medications commonly used in the treatment of Lupus, depending on the patient's specific case, might include:
- NSAIDS - Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories
- Steroids
- Anti-Malarials
- Immune Suppressants
- Other experimental therapies
What can be done to reduce symptoms?
There are certain things that you can do to minimize your Lupus symptoms:
- Get plenty of rest
- Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight
- Always take medications as prescribed
- Eat a healthy diet
- Avoid stressful situations
- Drink plenty of water
- Avoid taking drugs with sulfa, which tends to be a specific trigger for lupus symptoms
- Keep all regularly scheduled doctors appointments
Quality of Life
By learning to recognize the symptoms of a Lupus flare, patients learn the necessary steps needed to reduce the effects of those symptoms. With proper medication and care, people with Lupus are able to maintain a high quality of life.
