Lupus, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment, Facts, Advice & Information

Lupus is a difficult disease to detect. It can take months maybe even years for an accurate diagnosis. This is because the symptoms mimic those of much less serious illnesses. For most people, lupus is a mild disease affecting only a few organs. For others, it may cause serious and even life-threatening problems. As hard as it is to determine if someone has lupus, it has proven even harder to find a cure.

Currently, it is estimated that 500,000 to 1.5 million Americans suffer from lupus with more than 16,000 Americans developing the disease each year.

So what is lupus anyway? Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys. A fully functioning immune system makes proteins to protect the human body against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign materials.

When someone has lupus it means that the person's immune system cannot tell the difference between the foreign substances and its own cells and tissues. When this happens the immune system makes antibodies directed against itself. 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 swelling, injury to tissues, and sometimes severe pain.

Who gets lupus? Scientists believe that there is a genetic link within families to the disease but it is known that environmental factors also play a critical role in triggering lupus. Some of the environmental factors that may trigger the disease are: infections, certain antibiotics, ultraviolet light, extreme stress, and hormones. It is still not clear why lupus occurs more frequently among adult females than males. Lupus is often called a "woman's disease" even though many men are affected. Lupus does not discriminate and can occur at any age. The symptoms of the disease are the same in men and women.

There are three types of lupus: discoid, systemic, and drug-induced. Discoid (cutaneous) lupus is always limited to the skin. It is identified by a rash that may appear on the face, neck, and scalp. This rash is usually in the unique shape of a butterfly. For some people discoid lupus progresses into systemic lupus.

Most of the time when "lupus" is mentioned, it is systemic lupus that is being referred to. Systemic lupus is usually more severe than discoid lupus. Sometimes only the skin and joints will be involved. For others, the joints, lungs, kidneys, blood, or other organs and/or tissues may be affected. Since everyone's immune systems are different, usually no two people with systemic lupus will have identical symptoms.

Also with systemic lupus, there may periods of time in which minimal, if any, symptoms are evident and other times when the pain and discomfort becomes more intense and more frequent.

The least common form of lupus is drug-induced lupus which may occur after the use of certain prescribed drugs. The symptoms of drug-induced lupus are similar to those of systemic lupus.

The drugs most commonly connected with drug-induced lupus are hydralazine and procainamide. Not everyone who takes these drugs will develop drug-induced lupus. The symptoms usually fade when the medications are discontinued. Drug induced lupus is more common in men who are given these drugs more often.

What triggers an attack of lupus? In some patients, exposure to the sun causes sudden development of a rash and then possibly other symptoms. In others an infection as simple as a cold, does not get better, and then complications arise. These complications may be the first signs of lupus. In still other cases, a drug taken for some illness produces the signaling symptoms. Sometimes, the first symptoms and signs develop during pregnancy or soon after delivery. There are many people who cannot remember any specific factor. It seems that the triggers can be all unrelated for the same case of lupus, which makes it difficult for the person to pinpoint the cause of the flare.

There can also be times when someone who has been diagnosed with lupus shows no signs or symptoms at all. These remission periods are a blessing, but often are short-lived. Lupus patients know that there is no cure so there is bound to be a flare up that will be debilitating. Although flares are inevitable, the earlier they are detected, the more easily they can be controlled.

So until a cure is discovered, how is lupus treated? For the majority of people with lupus, effective treatment can minimize symptoms, reduce painful swelling, and maintain normal bodily functions. Preventive measures can reduce the risk of flares. There are many different treatment approaches because the specific needs and symptoms of each person and the course of lupus may vary tremendously. Medications are often prescribed for people with lupus, depending on the severity of the individual's case and which organs are involved.

If lupus is treated early, the patient's chances increase for reducing the time spent on high doses of drugs and decreasing permanent tissue or organ damage. One of the most important things that every person diagnosed with lupus should do is find a lupus support group. They are everywhere. Find one and get connected!

The prognosis of lupus is much better today than ever before. There is no cure for this disease but scientists have learned more in the past ten years about lupus than in the last hundred.

Take the shape of the butterfly rash that is so often a symptom of this life changing sickness and use it to remember that a butterfly is a sign of new beginnings and new things to come.