Lupus is an autoimmune disease that happens when the immune system attacks the body’s healthy tissues. The immune system mistakes the body's own tissues as foreign invaders and attacks them. It causes inflammation, swelling, pain, and damage to the tissues.
Lupus symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, fever, and a lupus rash. Some people with lupus feel only a minor inconvenience while others suffer with a significant lifelong disability.
Lupus affects people of African, Asian, or Native American descent two to three times as often as it affects whites. Nine out of 10 people with lupus are women. The disease usually strikes between the ages of 15 and 44, although it can also occur in older individuals.
There are two types of lupus: Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). DLE mainly affects skin that is exposed to sunlight, often leaving scars after healing of the lesions that occur.
SLE is more severe, as it affects not only the skin but also other vital organs. It can cause a raised, scaly, butterfly-shaped rash across the bridge of the nose and cheeks. Left untreated, the rash can leave scars. SLE can also affect other parts of the body's skin. In addition, SLE may inflame or damage the connective tissue in the joints, muscles and skin, along with the membranes surrounding or within the lungs, heart, kidneys and brain. For some people with lupus, the disease can cause confusion, depression, seizures and stroke.
There is not a single cause for lupus. Research suggests that a combination of genetic, hormonal, environmental and immune system factors may be involved. Environmental factors that are thought to trigger the disease include viral and bacterial infections, severe emotional stress and overexposure to sunlight. Medications used to treat conditions such as blood pressure (hydralazine) and heart rhythm (procainamide) may sometimes cause lupus-like symptoms.
Lupus can be hard to diagnose, because it affects people in so many different ways. Two symptoms that help physicians develop a diagnosis for lupus are the butterfly rash and swelling joints. If diagnosed with lupus, treatment varies depending on the severity of symptoms.
People living with lupus may experience mental as well as physical issues. It may be difficult to concentrate or sleep, and emotions such as grief, fear, anxiety and depression may recur as a result of pain, fatigue and other discomforts.
Practicing healthy lifestyle habits are key to managing lupus. Exercising regularly, eating a healthy, balance diet, getting enough rest and avoiding alcoholic beverages can help decrease symptoms. Learning to control stress is also critical to minimize flare-ups.
Due to the unpredictable nature of when and how lupus occurs, living a healthy lifestyle may be helpful in preventing its onset. Keeping the immune system strong and functioning well is an obvious precaution.
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