Diagnosis of lupus is complex. From the appearance of the first symptoms to an adequate diagnosis, on average it takes six years.
Women are 10 times more likely to develop lupus than men. African American women aged 45 to 65 have the highest risk of developing lupus (Sacks, J J, 1). SLE accounts for 70% of all cases of lupus. Approximately 10 to 15% of patients with lupus will have a premature death related to lupus (“Lupus Facts and Statistics | National Resource Center on Lupus.”3).
The figure1 and table1 below were retrieved from CDC’s web page. The CDC is currently updating this data, so far, no new data is available on mortality rate. The figure 1 and table 1 show the most recent data the CDC has on SLE mortality rates. The data was
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Table1 is subdivided into age groups, gender, and race.
Table 1 (Sacks, J J 3)
Other
Fig 2 (Gourley, Mark, and Frederick W Miller): Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Each sphere represents a disease phenotype, each square represents an individual genome, and each hexagon represents a particular environmental exposure, X indicates a protection from developing a disease phenotype within an individual genome. Figure2 helps visualize how a variety of SLE phenotype (symptoms) may result from different gene-environment interaction. Figure 2 shows the complexity of diagnosing SLE, due to the lack of a defined differentiation of symptoms among autoimmune diseases.
Condition that mimic SLE symptoms
Diseases Symptoms also present in SLE
Rheumatoid Arthritis* Inflammation of the lining of the joints
Sjogren Syndrome Dry eyes and dry mouth
Mixed connective tissue disorders Similar to SLE, but milder
Myositis* Inflammation and degeneration of muscle tissue
Rosacea Flushed face with pus-filled blisters
Seborrheic Dermatitis Sores on lips and nose
Lichen Planus Swollen rash that itches, typically on scalp, arms, legs, or in the
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Currently there are no treatments for cure of SLE. The only treatments available are treatments to suppress the progression on the disease, treatments to address complications cause by SLE, and treatments to relieve patients from the discomfort. There is no known etiology for SLE; therefore, there are no prevention methods for SLE. The recent improvement of the understanding of autoimmune diseases; in general, has helped improve prognosis. Faster and more precise diagnosis, leading to earlier treatment in suppressing the progression of the disease is allowing more patients to live a normal life span. Also, the 2011 FDA approval of the biologic drug called Belimumab has contributed to the improvement of prognosis. More research directed towards the understanding autoimmune disorder is needed. Unfortunately, the current knowledge is not enough to provide adequate and timely diagnosis. Due to the tight commonality among autoimmune diseases, a thorough understanding of the immune system is required to develop more effective treatments and a cure for systemic lupus
There are many different ways to treat Lupus. The most common treatment does not cure Lupus, but minimizes the symptoms and reduces inflammation. Support groups to help relieve anxiety and regular exercise can help treat the disease as well. There are a bunch of drugs that can be prescribed to help treat the specific symptoms. Most of these drugs are anti-inflammatory drugs. Some of them are as simple as over the counter painkillers like Tylenol, while others can be powerful steroids with anti-inflammatory agents in them. (The Lupus Foundation of America, The Lupus Page)
Systemic lupus erythematosus, or simply lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease or immune system malfunction. A person's immune system normally protects the person from viruses, bacteria and other foreign materials. When a person has an autoimmune diseases like lupus, the immune system turns against itself and attacks itself.
Reducing daily stress can help control lupus symptoms. “Today, physicians treat lupus using a wide variety of medicines, ranging in strength from mild to extremely strong. Prescribed medications will usually change during a person’s lifetime with lupus.” (Lupus Foundation of America). A rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in diseases of the joints and muscles, usually treats people with lupus. If lupus has caused damage to a particular organ, other specialists will be consulted. a dermatologist for cutaneous lupus, a cardiologist for heart disease, a nephrologist for kidney disease, a neurologist who studies brain and nervous system disease, or a gastroenterologist for gastrointestinal tract disease. A woman with lupus who is thinking about possibly having a baby needs an obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. Once a person is diagnosed with lupus a doctor will set up a treatment plan. usually involving trying to reduce inflammation, suppressing the overactive immune system, reducing flares and treating them when they occur, and minimizing damage to any
as for familty history it is believed that Heretity plays a roll in lupus. With other known medicals problems similiar to those such as enemia and other autoimmune diseases it is suspected the two are intertwinned. while no factual proof leads to this assummtion it seems to be somewhat of a common occurance between
Both medical journals provide similar information about SLE dealing with genetic influence, hormones, cytokines and similar treatment. Only difference is Mechanisms of Disease Systemic Lupus Erythematosus gives information about environmental influence and A Review of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Current Treatment Options journal has no evidence to support any environmental influence. It gives details about the new medication, Belimumab, which was approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The results are small but significant beneficial with the blockade of B-lymphocyte stimulator with an anti-BLyS antibody (Tsokos, 2011). Another new treatment option is small molecule inhibitors of kinases such as Syk and CaMK4 that are showed in the immune cells of patients with SLE (Tsokos,
It is not rare for individuals with lupus to undergo muscle throbs and discomfort or have inflammation of certain muscle groups, which causes faintness and loss of intensity. More than 90 percent of people with lupus will encounter joint and/or muscle pain at some time during the path of their illness. In lupus, the immune system of the body raids its own cells and tissues. Precisely, the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, heart, nervous system, and other organs of the body are affected. Lupus affects generally 10 times as many women as men. Most often, lupus develops in people 18 to 45 years old. (Lahita) Though lupus is most dominant among women, it also may affect men and children, as well as individuals of all ages. Lupus effects each person
Lupus “is predominantly a disease of young women (most commonly affecting women between the ages of 15–45) but can affect men as well” (Hughes & Sangle 2012). “Women of color (Asian and African American) are two to three times more likely to develop Lupus than Northern European women” (Hughes & Sangle 2012). It is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects many parts of the human body including the immune system, joints, skin, and organs within the body. Normally, the human body would produce proteins (antibodies) that protect the body from invaders such as viruses, bacteria and germs. In the human body afflicted with Lupus, the body becomes “autoimmune” and the body is unable to tell the difference between foreign invaders such as those named
For every case of Lupus there is always a different set of signs and symptoms. “ No two cases of Lupus are ever the same. Symptoms can have a very wide range.” (Mayo Clinic Staff)
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is an autoimmune disease within the appearance of autoantibodies that fights against nuclear antigens within the body of a person who is living with SLE and the involvement of their organ systems, including the kidneys. The rigorous events that cause an onset of medical signs of SLE are not yet well understood. However, the researcher are usingnumerous mouse strains spontaneous and inducible lupus to find a cure because as of now there still is no cure for lupus.
The exact cause for Lupus is unknown; however experts believe that some people are born with certain genes that affect how your immune system works. It appears that people with inherited predisposition for Lupus may develop this disease when they come in contact with “triggers.” Some potential triggers are: sunlight, infections, and medications. Sunlight exposure can lead to Lupus skin lesions, or trigger and internal response in susceptible people. Having an infection can initiate Lupus, or causes a relapse in symptoms. Also some anti-seizure, blood pressure, and antibiotic medications can trigger Lupus. People who have drug induced Lupus noticed their symptoms go away once they stopped taking the
Lupus is a condition that few people know about. Based on the results of a survey from the Lupus Foundation of America, around 72% of Americans aged 18-34 have either not heard of the disease or know nothing about it other than the name, despite this age group being at greatest risk for the condition. Lupus gained more attention from the public in 2015 after singer Selena Gomez announced she had been diagnosed with the condition in her late teens and underwent treatment for the disease. Lupus is a well-known autoimmune disorder disease. Which means that the body's immune system is not functioning normal and it's attacking the normal tissue, instead of the bacteria and viruses or in other words the body's immune system is hurting itself. The
The attacking and confused immune system has an assortment of organ systems to choose from and hate on, some common victims are the kidneys, skin, heart, central nervous system, the opportunities are many. Therefore, the symptoms of Lupus vary accordingly. If your stupid Lupus attacks your kidneys, you have kidney problems. If it 's your skin in the crosshairs, you have terrible rashes. If it 's your brain, you have headaches that make you want to poke your eyes out. It 's a real picnic.
Lupus has no known cause, which makes it so hard to treat. Doctors believe lupus can be caused in two
Makover, M. & Zieve, D. (2011, February 14). Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved July
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.