1 post tagged “lupus symptoms”

Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) is a disease of the immune system. Normally, the immune system protects the body from infection. In lupus, however, the immune system inappropriately attacks tissues in various parts of the body. This abnormal activity leads to tissue damage and illness.

Everyone has a fighter in them. It's called the immune system! It battles germs and bacteria to keep your body from getting sick. But if your immune system isn't working properly, it becomes autoimmune and starts attacking itself - that's when you get sick. Lupus (pronounced loo-pus) is an autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks your body's healthy

Lupus can affect anybody but the distribution is somewhat uneven. The disease is much more common in women, especially those of childbearing age, with ratio of women to men being around 9:1. The disease also appears to be more prevalent in women of African, Asian, Hispanic and Native American origin but the degree to which this is due to genetics or socioeconomic factors is unknown. 

Causes 

The precise reason for the abnormal autoimmunity that causes lupus is not known. Inherited genes, viruses, ultraviolet light, and drugs may all play some role. Genetic factors increase the tendency of developing autoimmune diseases, and autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and immune thyroid disorders are more common among relatives of patients with lupus than the general population.

SLE (lupus) is an autoimmune disease. This means there is a problem with the body's normal immune system response. Normally, the immune system helps protect the body from harmful substances. But in patients with an autoimmune disease, the immune system can't tell the difference between harmful substances and healthy ones. The result is an overactive immune response that attacks otherwise healthy cells and tissue. This leads to chronic (long-term) inflammation.

The underlying cause of autoimmune diseases is not fully known. Some researchers think autoimmune diseases occur after infection with an organism that looks like certain proteins in the body. The proteins are later mistaken for the organism and wrongly targeted for attack by the body's immune system.

The symptoms of lupus vary in seriousness. Sometimes they are quite mild, and sometimes they are quite severe. Typical symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, decreased appetite, and weight loss. The spleen and lymph nodes are often swollen. Other areas that may be affected by lupus include:

Joints. Joint pain and disorders, such as arthritis (see arthritis entry), are common. About 90 percent of all lupus patients have such problems. Skin. Lupus may cause skin rashes on any part of the body. They usually occur on the face, scalp, chest, ears, back, arms, and legs.

Allopathic medicine does not consider there to be a cure for lupus, but many alternative practitioners report "cures" by eliminating causes and treating the body as a whole, beginning with adjustments in diet and appropriate supplementation.

People with sun-induced rashes should always wear a high SPF lotion that blocks both UVA and UVB types of ultraviolet light. Those taking oral steroid therapy or immune suppressing agents should be vigilant if a fever develops, since fever can occur with lupus flares or with a superimposed problem, especially infection.  A combination of rest, especially during flares, and exercise for joints and muscles is important and should be supervised by the treating physician and physical therapists.