Lupus Research Paper

     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)

Facial redness or a rash on the face appears in the shape of a butterfly. This rash is flat, patchy lesions can also occur on the face; these lesions are raised and rough to the touch. Some Lupus patients may lose their hair, and scarring on the scalp may be related to this. Lupus patients also experience photosensitivity, a harmful reaction to sunlight. Rashes can occur due to exposure to sunlight. People that have Lupus bruise easily. Ulcers may occur in the mouth, nose and throat ." #

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that attacks women between the ages of 15 and 40. It occurs less often in men than in women. The people affected by lupus vary depending on the country or region. In the US alone, the prevalence rate is highest among Asians of Hawaii, blacks of Caribbean origin, and Native Americans of the Sioux, Arapahoe, and Crow tribes. Lupus is a disease that affects the immune system. We can think of the immune system as an army within the body with hundreds of defenders (known as antibodies). They defend the body from attack by germs and viruses. In lupus, however, the immune system becomes overactive and creates antibodies that attack healthy tissues in the body, such as: the skin, kidneys, lungs, heart and brain.

Lupus does not have a known cause, and because of that it has no known cure. The exact cause of lupus is unknown, but scientists suspect that it is likely to be a combination of factors, people who contract lupus are probably genetically predisposed to lupus, and know that environmental factors such as infections, antibodies, ultraviolet light, extreme stress and certain drugs play a critical role in

Approximately 1.5 million americans (5 million worldwide) live with lupus, but lupus is more common in women of African American and Native American than Caucasian women. More than 16,000 people are diagnosed with lupus each year. Everyone can get lupus but it’s mostly common in women and the specific type of women is African American women. Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease driven by the inflammation in the immune system. Women of color are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop lupus than a Caucasian women. 90 percent of the people diagnosed with lupus are young women. Black women are diagnosed at much higher rates and are more likely to experience complications from the disease. There should me more research done, they should spend more

Research suggests that there is a genetic component that predisposes some people to lupus, but it seems it has to be triggered by another event (Mayo Clinic). Lupus is thought to have three different possible triggers, though research into understanding them is ongoing. Sunlight may trigger skin lesions caused by the autoimmune response of lupus. And infections and medications that affect the immune system can also trigger a symptom outbreak (Mayo Clinic).

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.

Lupus tears families apart, ruins lives, and brings pain to the affected. “[SLE] is a multisystemic, autoimmune disease of unknown etiology, which affects multiple organ systems, including the central nervous system, or CNS” (Milovancevic et al.). This disease will literally turn a person’s body against itself. It leads to excruciating pain throughout the victim’s body, as if it were on fire. The optimistic side of this coin, however, is that many pharmacologists have created medications that can nullify the effects of most symptoms. These solutions include antimalarial drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-rheumatic drugs, immunosuppressives, a type of medication called Belimumab, and corticosteroids. While anyone can use the

Lupus is an autoimmune disease – meaning that the body recognizes certain organs and tissues as being foreign and attacks itself. This commonly manifests with inflammation in the joints, skin, mouth, eyes, and other organs.

Lupus is an invisible disease because it is invisible to the eye, government, and medical test. Some lupus symptoms are invisible and can mimic other diseases. Some people do not notice muscle aches, fatigue, joint pain, difficulty processing information, memory loss, and chest pain. These are symptoms that people have that are not noticeable, you can not see this happening while it happens. These symptoms can be mimics of other things that could have these same symptoms, so this may be why lupus so hard to find and treat early in the stage. Another invisible symptoms is heartburn, you can have heart burn from many different things depending on what you eat or drink.

When people think of the condition Lupus, they usually have their own distorted views on it. Even though lupus is mainly a women’s disease, men are also prone to the disease on rare occasions. Over 90% of lupus sufferers are young women around the ages of 15 to 44. Lupus is a very chronic and complex autoimmune disease which affects more than 1.5 millions Americans alone. Due to Lupus’ uncontrollable symptoms and it's ability to mimic other diseases, there is no single laboratory test which could definitely identify the illness it makes it much difficult to be diagnose. If the disease can be diagnosed early it's ability to progress and become more severe decrease. Whether they’ve heard myths that depict Lupus as a sexually transmitted disease

Lupus is a disease that can destroy any and every part of your body, for instance, your skin, joint, and even your organs. Lupus is a very tricky disease and no one knows what the cause of it is, the body natural defenses system is the immune system and with lupus, the immune system attacks healthy tissues instead of attacking only the damaged tissues. For example when you get things like a bacteria and viruses the body will kill both good and bad cells because it can’t tell the sick cells apart from the healthy cells. People who suffer from this disease experience a lot of pain. The disease is lifelong and has no cure however most people with lupus can control the symptoms and prevent severe damage to their organs. African American women are

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease marked by its effect on various parts of the body, including the joints, skin, blood, and kidneys. It is a condition in which the body's immune system attacks its own cells and tissues, resulting in pain, inflammation, and often damage to organs. Lupus involves the immune system. The immune system makes antibodies that work to protect the body against foreign substances like viruses and bacteria. Such foreign bodies are called antigens. When a person has lupus, his or her body is unable to determine the difference between antigens and the individual's cells and body tissues. As such, the immune system creates antibodies against the individual's own tissues. These antibodies are called autoantibodies. Depending on the type of lupus, a wide range of symptoms may be experienced, from rashes, hair loss, and achy, swollen joints to fever, anemia, and abnormal blood clotting. Though the disease can affect many parts of the body, individuals usually experience symptoms in only a few organs. There is no known cure for lupus. However,

With the long term affects of Lupus, patients are recommended to limit sun exposure and use sunscreen to prevent flares, have good eating habits, get

Every Lupus Warrior has gone through lupus flares in life… How many times?? Not sure. The lupus symptoms get worse during a flaring accompanied with chronic pain and fatigue. It is important to understand that these symptoms don’t happen to be active all by themselves. There has to be a trigger or stressor that causes the flare.