Lupus

Lupus

One would think that AIDS or cerebral palsy would be the most common disorders, but they are not. No one ever hears about lupus, even though it is more common in people than AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia, and cystic fibrosis combined. 1.4 million Americans have lupus (Lupus Foundation, 3), i.e. Lupus affects 1 out of every 185 Americans. What is Lupus? What are symptoms of this disease? Is it lethal? Is it curable? Throughout this paper these questions will be addressed, as well as what treatments are currently available for this illness.

Lupus, by definition, is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown

cause that can affect virtually any part of the body (Lupus Foundation, 1). Lupus is a weakening illness for its victims and their families. Four out of 10,000 people a year are diagnosed with lupus, and many that suffer this illness remain undiagnosed ( Medical Network ,2). Lupus's attack on the immune system causes inflammation and can severely damage or kill affected tissue. Most often, the disease targets the joints and skin, but the kidneys, bones, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain are also weakened during the illness (Lupus Foundation,1). Currently the cause of lupus remains unknown. Medical professionals believe that exposure to certain environmental factors and chemicals will trigger the disease. A person's genetic makeup, sun exposure, and

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stress are also key factors which may cause a person to be prone to getting lupus. Medications, such as penicillin and sulfa, might tend to trigger the diseases symptoms

(Medical Network,1). Scientist are still not sure why nine out of ten people who have lupus are women between the ages of 15 and 45 or why the illness is more common

in Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics rather than whites. Around one out of every 250 black women and one out of every 750 white women are currently carrying the disease (Medical Network, 1). The medical term for lupus is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or simply known as SLE. The word systemic implies the disease can affect many parts of the body. SLE is also a chronic disease. Lupus causes malfunctions in the cells of the immune system. The body's auto-antibodies react with the foreign substances to form an immune complex. These complexes build up in tissues, causing irritation and injury to tissues resulting in painful twangs in effected parts of the body. In Lupus the body overreacts to an unknown stimulus and makes too many antibodies or proteins, which causes the damage to body tissues (Lupus Foundation,1). The body depends on antibodies and lymphocytes to raise defenses when a bacteria or virus begins to attack the body. The shape of the antibodies determines what cells or viruses it will attack. This is a typical process in healthy individuals. In patients with SLE, there seems to be a problem with their immune system and its development of the shape of the antibodies. Their antibodies will attack normal healthy cells and tissues instead of the body's diseased and sick cells.

Lupus typically causes very visible flares. Patients can have blood work done to estimate when flares will disappear and reappear again. When experiencing a lupus flare

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people will sometimes notice a return of the symptoms that they previously experienced, but sometimes they will suffer from new symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms are fever, swollen joints, extreme fatigue, rashes, and sores; especially in

the mouth and nose (Lupus Foundation,2). The associated fever is not due to an infection, but rather is a sign of an up-and-coming lupus flare. Other common complications of lupus are insomnia, depression and poor body image (Medical Network,2). It also affects the central nervous system in such a way that memory loss, difficulty understanding, and seizures are not uncommon. In pregnant women it increases the risk of stillbirths. These women that are pregnant develop toxins in their blood which can cause high blood pressure, swelling, and transient diabetes. These toxins can also cause a natural abortion or even strokes. People with lupus also tend to become depressed because of the pain, fatigue, and side effects of the medication. This depression, in some cases, can even cause a lupus flare. Symptoms similar to lupus can also be caused by anemia, thyroid disorders, kidney disease or infection. If test for these conditions come up negative, then Tylenol, aspirin, or simply getting more rest may help to relieve these symptoms (What, 2). In general, these symptoms are worse when the disease is active and diminish as lupus goes into remission. Many lupus patients have little or no fatigue when their lupus becomes inactive, but in others, the fatigue remains relatively constant (What, 2).

Steroid therapy is often used to help with flares and to push lupus into remission. This treatment causes systemic problems, long term side effects from high doses of steroids can be much worse than the original symptoms it was meant to treat. Some

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patients have found that their level of energy can improve when treated with Quinacrine, an anti-malarial drug (What, 2). One of the few visible symptoms of lupus is the skin rash (flare) that is present at one time or another in most lupus patients (What, 1). The most common rash in systemic lupus is a bright red rash in the shape of a butterfly that covers both cheeks and extends across the nose (What, 1). It can also extend to the forehead and chin. The rash is generally non painful, comes on quickly and does not

cause lasting scarring but rather slowly dissipates (What, 1). One of the most common symptoms for lupus patients is pain in the joints, most typically in the hand, knee, and wrist (Medical Network, 2). Joint swelling, stiffness, and redness can occur but usually do not last longer than few days in any given joint. Lupus can also affect many of the major types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cell and platelet (Medical

Network, 2). About half of lupus patients also have anemia, which is usually a

mild decrease in red blood cells not requiring treatment. If the anemia is due to an iron deficiency, it is easily treated with iron supplements