Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system
becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissue. This
results in symptoms such as inflammation, swelling, and damage to
joints, skin, kidneys, blood, the heart, and lungs.
Under normal function, the immune system makes proteins called
antibodies in order to protect and fight against antigens such as
viruses and bacteria. Lupus makes the immune system unable to
differentiate between antigens and healthy tissue. This leads the
immune system to direct antibodies against the healthy tissue -
not just antigens - causing swelling, pain, and tissue damage.
(An antigen is a substance capable of inducing a specific
immune response.)
What are the different
types of lupus?
Several different kinds of lupus have
been identified, but the type that we
refer
to simply as lupus is known as systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE.
Other types include discoid (cutaneous), drug-induced, and
neonatal.
Patients with discoid lupus have
a version of the disease that is limited to the skin. It is
characterized by a rash that appears on the face, neck, and scalp,
and it does not affect internal organs. Less than 10% of patients
with discoid lupus progress into the systemic form of the disease,
but there is no way to predict or prevent the path of the disease.
SLE is more severe than discoid lupus because it can affect any of
the body's organs or organ systems. Some people may present
inflammation or other problems with only skin and joints, while
other SLE sufferers will see joints, lungs, kidneys, blood, and/or
the heart affected. This type of lupus is also often characterized
by periods of flare (when the disease is active) and periods of
remission (when the disease is dormant).
Drug-induced lupus is caused by a reaction with certain
prescription drugs
and causes symptoms very similar to SLE. The drugs most commonly
associated with this form of lupus are a hypertension medication
called hydralazine and a heart arrhythmia medication called
procainamide, but there are some 400 other drugs that can also
cause the condition. Drug-induced lupus is known to subside after
the patient stops taking the triggering medication.
A rare condition, neonatal lupus occurs when a mother passes
autoantibodies to a fetus. The unborn and newborn child can have
skin rashes and other complications with the heart and blood.
Usually a rash appears but eventually fades within the first six
months of the child's life.
Who is affected by lupus?
According to the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA), 1.5 to 2
million Americans have some form of lupus. The prevalence is about
40 cases per 100,000 persons among Northern Europeans and 200 per
100,000 persons among blacks. Although the disease affects both
males and females, women are diagnosed 9 times more often than
men, usually between the ages of 15 and 45. African-American women
suffer from more severe symptoms and a higher mortality rate.
Other risk factors include exposure to sunlight, certain
prescription medications, infection with Epstein-Barr virus, and
exposure to certain chemicals.
What causes lupus?
Although doctors are do not know exactly what causes lupus and
other autoimmune diseases, most believe that lupus results from
both genetic and environmental stimuli.
Since lupus is known to occur within families, doctors believe
that it is possible to inherit a genetic predisposition to lupus.
There are no known genes, however, that directly cause the
illness. It is probable that having an inherited predisposition
for lupus makes the disease more likely only after coming into
contact with some environmental trigger.
The higher number of lupus cases in females than in males may
indicate that the disease can be triggered by certain hormones.
Physicians believe that hormones such as estrogen regulate the
progression of the disease because symptoms tend to flare before
menstrual periods and/or during pregnancy.
Certain environmental factors have been known to cause lupus
symptoms. These include:
Extreme stress
Exposure to ultraviolet light, usually from sunlight
Smoking
Some medications and antibiotics, especially those in the sulfa
and penicillin groups
Some infections, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), parvovirus (such
as fifth disease), hepatitis C infections, and the Epstein-Barr
virus (in children)
Chemical exposure to compounds such as trichloroethylene in well
water and dust
What are the symptoms of lupus?
Since no two cases of lupus are exactly alike, there is a wide
range of symptoms that are known to affect many parts of the body.
Sometimes symptoms develop slowly or appear suddenly; they can be
mild, severe, temporary, or permanent. Most people with lupus
experience symptoms in only a few organs, but more serious cases
can lead to problems with kidneys, the heart, the lungs, blood, or
the nervous system.
Lupus episodes, or flares, are usually noted by a worsening of
some of the following symptoms:
Achy joints (arthralgia), arthritis, and swollen joints,
especially in wrists, small joints of the hands, elbows, knees,
and ankles
Swelling of the hands and feet due to kidney problems
Fever of more than 100 degrees F (38 degrees C)
Prolonged or extreme fatigue
Skin lesions or rashes, especially on the arms, hands, face, neck,
or back
Butterfly-shaped rash (malar rash) across the cheeks and nose
Anemia (oxygen carrying deficiency of red blood cells)
Pain in the chest on deep breathing or shortness of breath
Sun or light sensitivity (photosensitivity)
Hair loss or alopecia
Abnormal blood clotting problems
Raynaud's phenomenon: fingers turn white and/or blue or red in the
cold
Seizures
Mouth or nose ulcers
Weight loss or gain
Dry eyes
Easy bruising
Anxiety, depression, headaches, and memory loss
Lupus can also lead to complications in several areas of the
body. These include:
Kidneys - serious kidney damage is a primary cause of death for
lupus sufferers.
Central nervous system - lupus can cause headaches, dizziness,
memory problems, seizures, and behavioral changes.
Blood and vessels - lupus causes an increased risk of anemia,
bleeding, blood clotting, and vessel inflammation
Lungs - noninfectious pneumonia and difficulty breathing due to
inflammation of the chest cavity are more likely with lupus
Heart - heart muscle and artery inflammation are more likely with
the disease, and lupus increases the chances of cardiovascular
disease and heart attacks.
Infection - lupus treatments tend to depress the immune system
making your body more vulnerable to infection.
Cancer - lupus increases the risk of cancer, especially of
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, lung cancer, and liver cancer
Bone tissue death - a lower blood supply to bone tissue leads to
tiny breaks and eventual death of bone. This is most common in the
hip bone.
Pregnancy - lupus increases the risk of miscarriage, hypertension
during pregnancy, and preterm birth.
Growing Stronger, Growing
Better
Lupus - treatment of Lupus, Lupus types,
Disease medicines, Lupus symptoms, Lupus and Disease symptoms, Lupus
symptoms Disease and diagnosis, Symptoms and Solutions, Signs and Symptoms,
type of Lupus, cause common, common Lupus, Lupus List, causes list,
Infectious Lupus, Causes, Diseases , Types, Prevention, Treatment and Facts,
Lupus information, Lupus: Definition, Lupus names, medical Lupus, medical
Lupus and disorders, cell Lupus, Lupus Worldwide, Lupus Research, Lupus
Control, Lupus Center, Digestive Lupus Week, Information about Lupus, causes
of different Lupus, Lupus Articles, Lupus and conditions, Health and Lupus,
Lupus Patients, Lupus and Sciences, causes of alzheimer's Lupus, Lupus
causes, alternative medicine heart Lupus, body ailments, Lupus medicines,
medical antiques, type of blood Lupus