Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease which causes inflammation of various parts
of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood and kidneys.
In an autoimmune disorder such as lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell
the difference between antigens (foreign substances) and its own cells and tissues.
The immune system reacts and makes antibodies directed against its own cells and
tissues. These antibodies the body creates are known as auto-antibodies, which then
react with the “self antigens” to form immune complexes. The immune complexes build
up in the tissues and cause inflammation, injury to tissues, and pain.
Different Types:
Discoid lupus - affects the skin.
Systemic lupus - attacks multiple systems in the body
Drug-induced lupus - may develop after taking certain prescription medications.
Neonatal lupus.
Lupoid Hepatitis
Cause
The exact cause is unknown, but it may be a combination of factors such as:
Genetic make-up.
Exposure to certain trigger factors.
Certain prescription drugs.
Antibiotics.
Stress.
Hormones.
Infections.
How common is lupus?
Lupus occurs more often in certain ethnic groups.
For Caucasians the incidence is approx. 1:1000.
For African-Americans, the incidence is approx. 1:250.
For Latinos the incidence is approx. 1:500.
Symptoms
Symptoms vary from person to person and can vary within the individual from time
to time. Symptoms can vary from week to week, even from day to day. However it is
uncommon for the affected organ system to change. Because lupus is a disease that
can attack different organ systems the diseases affects everyone differently.
Lupus is not infectious or contagious. However, at present there is no cure for lupus
but it can be controlled with varying degrees of success using medications and lifestyle
applications .
Lupus can sometimes mimic the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
Systemic Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that may affect any part of the body.
Systemic Lupus occurs more in women than men 9:1 and more so in women of child-bearing
years.
Lupus can cause disease of the skin, heart, lungs, kidneys, joints, and/or nervous
system. When only the skin is involved, the condition is called lupus dermatitis
or cutaneous lupus erythematosus. A form of lupus dermatitis that can be isolated
to the skin, without internal disease, is called discoid lupus.
When internal organs are involved, the condition is referred to as systemic lupus
erythematosus. (SLE)
SLE is difficult to diagnose for a number of reasons:
It is a multi-system disease, and before a multi-system disease can be diagnosed,
there have to be symptoms in many parts of the body.
It is a disease that does not typically develop rapidly, but develops slowly & evolves
over time.
Symptoms can come and go.
It can take time for the disease to show up in blood tests, which one time can be
positive and the next be negative again. It can take months or even years for enough
symptoms to allow an accurate diagnosis.
It is known as a great imitator, because it mimics so many other diseases and conditions,
which often have to be ruled out.
There is no one diagnostic test for lupus.
SLE most often damages:
The heart.
The joints.
Skin.
The lungs.
Blood vessels.
The liver.
The kidneys.
The nervous system.
What course the disease will follow is unpredictable, there are periods of illness
(flares) and periods of remission.
Symptoms of systemic lupus include:
Arthritis.
Muscle pain.
Muscle weakness.
Fatigue.
Sun-sensitivity.
Hair loss.
Butterfly rash across the nose and cheeks.
Fever.
Anaemia.
Headaches.
Recurrent miscarriages.
While some people will have only a few symptoms, others may have them all.
Currently there is no cure.
SLE can be fatal. However, fatalities are becoming increasingly rare.
Danchenko N, Satia JA, Anthony MS (2006). "Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus:
a comparison of worldwide disease burden". Lupus 15 (5): 308–18
