GOOD HEALTH & WELLNESS
LUPUS AWARENESS MONTH
May is Lupus Awareness Month. Lupus is a chronic (long-term) disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of your body. It’s an auto-immune disease, which means that your immune system (the body system that usually fights infections) attacks healthy tissue instead. Lupus most commonly affects your skin, joints, and internal organs (kidneys and heart). Because Lupus affects many parts of the body, it can cause
a lot of different symptoms. The symptoms can include swelling and pain. There are different types of Lupus which includes: systemic, cutaneous, drug-induced, and neonatal Lupus.
The most common Lupus symptoms (which are the same for men and women) are:
Extreme fatigue (feeling tired all the time)
Pain or swelling in the joints
Swelling in the hands, feet, or around the eyes
Headaches
Low fevers
Sensitivity to sunlight or fluorescent light
Chest pain when breathing deeply
A butterfly-shaped rash on the cheeks and nose
Hair loss
Sores in the mouth or nose
Fingers and toes turning white or blue and feeling numb when a person is cold or stressed (Raynaud’s Disease)
Lupus symptoms can come and go and they can change over time. Lupus shares a lot of symptoms with other diseases, like arthritis and diabetes. So, if you have any of these common symptoms, it’s important to talk to your doctor and find out whether you have Lupus or a different health problem.
Anyone can develop Lupus. But, certain people are at higher risk for developing Lupus, including:
Women ages 15 to 44
Certain racial or ethnic groups (African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, or Pacific Islander), as well as people who have a family member with Lupus or another auto-immune disease.
In addition, 9 out of 10 people with Lupus are women.
There is no known cause for Lupus, but Lupus and other auto-immune diseases do run in families. Experts also think it may develop in response to certain hormones (like estrogen) or environmental triggers. An environmental trigger is something outside of the body that can bring on symptoms of Lupus or make them worse. Lupus is not contagious. You can’t “catch” Lupus or give it to someone else.
A rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in diseases of the joints and muscles, typically treats people with Lupus. If Lupus has caused damage to specific organs, you may also need to see other types of doctors. For example, you may need to see a dermatologist for Lupus that affects the skin, a cardiologist for heart disease, a nephrologist for kidney disease, a neurologist for brain and nervous system disease, or a gastroenterologist for gastrointestinal tract disease. If you are considering pregnancy, you may need to see an obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. Tailor your treatment plan to your specific symptoms. It is important to set treatment goals. Your treatment plan may depend on your age, symptoms, general health, and lifestyle.
The goals of your treatment plan should be to do the following:
Control symptoms like joint pain and fatigue
Reduce inflammation caused by Lupus
Suppress your overactive immune system
Prevent flare ups and treat them when they occur
Minimize damage to organs
Available Medications
Doctors typically use many different medicines. It can take months, or even years, to find the right combination of medicines to control your symptoms.
Medicines commonly used to treat lupus include:
Anti-inflammatories like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Corticosteroids like prednisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, and hydrocortisone
Antimalarials like hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil®) and chloroquine
Biologics like the monoclonal antibody belimumab (Benlysta®)
Immunosuppressives like cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®), methotrexate (Rheumatrex™), and azathioprine (Imuran®)
Anticoagulants like aspirin, heparin (Calciparine®), and warfarin (Coumadin®)
Diuretics for fluid retention
Antihypertensive drugs for high blood pressure
Anticonvulsants for seizure disorders
Antibiotics for infections
Bone-strengthening drugs for osteoporosis
Make sure you consult with your doctor to find out the best treatment plan for you.
Check out the Lupus Foundation of America's Expert Series video below:
RIP Gloria. We miss you!
Source: Lupus Foundation of America
By Dietra Myers
