Lupus

It was December 1, 1980 (mom's 40th Birthday) and she had been diagnosed with "Systemic Lupus". She had never been ill before and the doctors said she would not live to see her next birthday because as unfamiliar to her it was to them as well until a nurse suggested testing her for Lupus. She had been in remission for most of her life. To make a long story short, the disease while in remission had deteriorated her organ internally and she had been place on dialysis because her kidney had failed and she died as a result in 1991. That is why I chose this topic for my research.

What is Lupus

As defined by the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA), "Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease which causes inflammation of various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. The body's immune system normally makes proteins called antibodies to protect the body against viruses, bacteria and other foreign materials. These foreign materials are called antigens. In an autoimmune disorder such as lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances (antigens) and its own cells and tissues. The immune system then makes antibodies directed against "self." These antibodies, called "auto-antibodies," react with the "self" antigens to form immune complexes. The immune complexes build up in the tissues and can cause inflammation, injury to tissues, and pain.

More people have lupus than AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia and cystic fibroses combined. LFA market research data show that between 1,400,00 and 2,00,00 people reported to have been diagnosed with lupus. (Study conducted by Bruskin/Goldring Research, 1994.) For most people, lupus is a mild disease affecting only a few organs. For others, it may cause serious and even life-threatening problems. Thousands of Americans die each year from lupus-related complications.

Types of Lupus

There are three types of Lupus: Discoid lupus, Systemic lupus and Systemic lupus

Discoid lupus:

- It looks a lot like a rash that may appear on the face, neck and scalp; it is limited to the skin

- Diagnosis is determined by examining a biopsy of the rash; The biopsy will

show abnormalities that are not found in skin with the rash.

- Does not generally involve the body's internal organs, making it difficult to

detect.

- 10 % of the people with discoid lupus can evolve into Systemic lupus,

which can affect any organ/system of the body, which cannot be predicted or

prevented.

- Treatment will not prevent its progression to Systemic lupus.

- Individuals who progress to the systemic form probably had Systemic lupus at the outset, with the discoid rash as their main symptom.

Systemic lupus:

- Is more discoid lupus; It effects any organ/system in the body

- For some only the skin and joints will be affected for others, the joints, lungs, kidneys, blood or other organs and/or tissues may be affected.

- Generally, no two people will have identical symptoms of systemic lupus.

- Systemic lupus may include periods in which few, if any symptoms are evident (remission) and other times when the disease becomes more active (flare).

- Most often when people mention "lupus," they are referring to the systemic form of the disease.

Drug-induced lupus:

- Occurs after the use of certain prescribed drugs

- The symptoms of drug-induced lupus are similar to those of systemic lupus.

- Drugs most commonly connected with drug-induced lupus are hydralazine (used to treat high blood pressure or hypertension) and procainamide (used to treat irregular heart rhythms).

- Not everyone who takes these drugs will develop drug-induced lupus.

- 4 percent of people who take these drugs will develop the antibodies suggestive of lupus.

- Of those 4 percent, only an extremely small number will develop overt drug-induced lupus.

- The symptoms usually fade when the medications is discontinued.

Cause

As described by the (LFA), the cause(s) of lupus is unknown, but environmental and genetic factors are involved. Scientists believe that there is a genetic predisposition to the disease; environmental factors also play a critical role in triggering lupus. Some environmental factors that may trigger the disease include; infections, antibiotics (especially those in the sulfa and penicillin groups), ultraviolet light, extreme stress, and certain drugs.

Although lupus occurs within families, there is no known gene(s) that is thought to cause the illness. Only 10 percent of lupus patients will have a close relative (parent or sibling) who already has or may develop lupus. Statistics show that only about 5% of the children born to individuals with lupus will develop the illness.

Lupus is often called a "woman's disease" despite the fact that many men are affected. Lupus can occur at any age, and in either sex, although it occurs 10-15 times more frequently among adult females than among adult males. The symptoms of the disease are the same in men and women. People of African, American Indian, and Asian origin are thought to develop the disease more frequently than Caucasian women, but the studies that led to this result are small and need corroboration.

Hormonal factors may explain why lupus occurs more frequently in females than in males. The increase of disease symptoms before menstrual periods and/or during pregnancy support the belief that hormones, particularly estrogen, may be involved. However, the exact hormonal reason for the greater prevalence of lupus in women, and the cyclic increase in symptoms, is unknown.

Pregnancy and Lupus

Many families question whether or not a young woman with lupus should risk becoming pregnant. The currently there is no absolute reason why a woman