Ethical And Legal Issues Regarding Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

     Lupus is a potentially life threatening disease that effects about 1.5 million Americans. Lupus can effect many different parts of the body. Lupus is a type of autoimmune system disorder in which the body cannot distinguish the difference between foreign antibodies and its own organs. So basically what happens is that the body ends up attacking its own organs thinking they are foreign substances. (The Lupus Foundation of America)

In Chao Yuanfang’s Zhu Bing Yuan Hou Lun (Treatise on Causes and Symptoms of Diseases), there had been more than 130 kinds of skin diseases and some rarely seen diseases recorded. Records of these diseases and their treatments

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) also referred to lupus dates back to the middle ages and has made an explosion in the past 60 years. Even though more than 1.5 million Americans have lupus and 90% of lupus sufferers are women, between the ages of 15 to 44 (Lupus Research Institute), there is little awareness about the disease. 72% of Americans aged 18-34 have either not heard of the disease or know nothing about it (Medical News Today). However, researchers continue on working to have a better understanding of SLE factors, pathophysiology, current treatment and new prospects for treatment.

A common example of CL is a rash across the bridge of the nose, known as the butterfly rash, and over the cheeks. In Cutaneous Lupus sores can develop in the scalp, and on the neck and face. Only ten percent of people who have Cutaneous Lupus will develop Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

The following search mechanism was used: (“lupus, African Americans” [MeSH Terms] OR (“lupus” [All Fields] AND “African Americans” [All Fields]) OR (“lupus, blacks” [MeSH Terms] OR (“lupus” [All Fields] AND “blacks” [All Fields]) OR (“lupus, minorities” [MeSH Terms] OR (“lupus” [All Fields] AND “minorities” [All Fields]) OR (“SLE, African Americans” [MeSH Terms] OR (“SLE” [All Fields] AND “African Americans” [All Fields]) OR (“SLE, blacks” [MeSH Terms] OR (“SLE” [All Fields] AND “blacks” [All Fields]) OR (“SLE, minorities” [MeSH Terms] OR (“SLE” [All Fields] AND “minorities” [All Fields]) OR (“lupus, race” [MeSH Terms] OR (“lupus” [All Fields] AND “race” [All Fields]) OR (“SLE, race” [MeSH Terms] OR (“SLE” [All Fields] AND “race” [All Fields]). A total of 344 results were obtained and the title and abstract were reviewed by two of the authors (EMW and LB). The inclusion criteria were original research papers related to the prevalence and clinical course of SLE in African Americans. We excluded literature reviews, case reports, and surgical techniques articles. We also excluded papers published before 2000. In addition, a manual search of all referenced articles not found in the main search was performed. A total of 71 full papers were full reviewed, but we also excluded 38 additional papers because they were case studies or not limited to African Americans, for a total of 33 studies included

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease in which a person’s own immune system begins to recognize its own tissues and organs as foreign antigens which causes it to attack and injure those targeted structures (Perspectives 14). Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) causes coin-shaped lesions to appear on the skin and does not affect any other system other than the integumentary (Perspectives 23). As stated on the Mayo Clinic website the etiology of the disease is idiopathic, but it is believed that environmental factors and inherited genetic code may contribute to the formation of lupus. Lupus can also be triggered by sunlight, infections, and medications such as anti-seizure and hypertension prescriptions (Mayo Clinic). Iatrogenic cases of the disease often have their symptoms reduced or eradicated after stopping those medications (Mayo Clinic). Diagnosis of the disease is based upon criteria set in place by the American College of Rheumatology as lupus often affects the muscle and joints (Lupus.org). The list is comprised of eleven common signs and symptoms that have been observed by rheumatologists. They are: Malar or

Systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune disease. This condition causes the body to mistaken its own tissues and organs as foreign bodies and begins attacking them causing continuing inflammation and pain. (Huether & McCance, 2012) The cause of SLE still remains unknown, but it is possible that is inherited as a complex trait or caused by environmental stimuli. (S) Anyone is at risk for Lupus, but is more common among women than men and is more prevalent of African Americans and Asians. (National Library of Medicine 2010, para 2) This condition can be difficult to diagnose, as a patient must present a number of the recognizable symptoms. Depending on the location that Lupus presents itself in the body, the symptoms

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease. The cause of the disease is unknown is still unknown today. Some researchers would lean it being caused by genetics being, that it mostly effects Asians and African Americans and is more prevalent in women than in men. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus disease causes the body's immune system to attack the healthy tissues accidently. It can affect the joints, skin, kidneys, brain, and other organs. Although, certain drugs can cause Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus can unknowingly happen at any age. Studies show that it appears mostly between the ages of 15-44. In the United States the reported prevalence of SLE is 20 to 150 cases per 100,000.

Etiology: SLE is a combination of genetic and your environment. It is known when the disease is inherited it can be triggered when coming in contact with the environment. However the cause of lupus in most cases

An autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own healthy cells, lupus has no known origin. While its symptoms are primarily recognizable, they can often mimic other diseases, thereby delaying accurate diagnosis. Joint pain, poor circulation and a telltale rash are just three of myriad symptoms indicative of lupus, a disease that inevitably impacts major organs by way of compromising the body's defenses, as well as through invasive steroid treatment that weakens bones.

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body. The skin, joints, or organs inside the body can be affected by this. Chronic means that the symptoms tend to last weeks and sometimes for many years. With lupus, the immune system makes autoantibodies instead of creating antibodies, which protect the body from bacteria and viruses. Autoantibodies do more work than antibodies by attacking the viruses as well as healthy tissue. When this happens inflammation, pain, and damage occurs to many parts of the body. Lupus is not a contagious disease that people should be afraid of. With some people, no visual changes happen, which means it is not noticeable to see someone with Lupus ("What is lupus?", 2016).

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can happen when your body's immune system attacks Some tissues and healthy organs. It is natural that the immune system protects the body from viruses and bacteria, but in the lupus attacks the healthy tissue. this disease can called systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE. It is difficult to diagnose the disease because its signs and symptoms tend to mimic other diseases. What makes diagnosis difficult is that it can not determined from just one test but by several tests it can be determine. These tests include blood, urine and physical examination. Lupus most common in women and often of childbearing age. however, children, men and teenagers can develop this disease too. most people develop this disease between the ages of 15-44 (Anonymous, 2013). Also, Scientists believe that there are 5 million people around the world who have a form of lupus and that it spreads in African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians (Anonymous, 2016) . Lupus is like any disease it has causes, symptoms and Methods of Treatment for this disease.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in an overly active state that attacks healthy, functioning tissue. This disease is not well known mainly for two reasons, firstly, it is not given enough hype in social media. Secondly, many people show symptoms during the early stages of lupus however, the victims do not recognize its severity until the disease has afflicted permanent damage. This is usually because some symptoms are similar to other less threatening ailments. Lupus affects many systems of the body which include the gastrointestinal system, the cardiopulmonary system, the musculoskeletal system, the renal system, and the integumentary system. This disease is formerly caused by genetic inheritance however, there are a great number of factors that trigger the immediate onset of lupus, as it is not necessarily prevalent on a person who has the genes from birth. Although there is no known cure for lupus, efficacious forms of treatment are possible.

Most experts can agree that there are a number of factors that cause it; the causes of Lupus are from a combination of genetics and the environment. Sometimes people inherit what is called a “genetic predisposition” which means that they inherit the chance to eventually develop it. It is very hard to pinpoint one single source of cause that triggers Lupus like I mentioned before. Things in the environment like UV rays from the sun, or unrelated things like an infection or a pregnancy can trigger it. The symptoms of Lupus range from Extreme fatigue, headaches, photosensitivity, pain/swollen joints, and one clear indicator being a butterfly-shaped rash across the cheek or nose.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease which causes inflammation of your joints, tissues, and organs. The inflammation presents itself as heat, pain, swelling and redness. SLE is a variable disease that doesn’t take any one particular course; therefore its unpredictability makes it even more devastating. No two people will experience the same disease symptoms or severity level. As S.L.E progresses there will be periods of very subtle to no symptoms at all called remission or an exacerbation of symptoms called flares.