RESULTS
Recruitment and participant characteristics
Of the 44 patients contacted, 26 (59%) participated in the study. Eight (31%) participated in one of the three focus groups, and 18 (69%) participated in semi-structured interviews. Reasons for non-participation included competing priorities, lack of interest, and parent refusal. Participants were aged from 14 to 26 years (mean 18 years [SD 3.15]), and 14 (54%) were below 18 years, and the median disease duration was 6 years (SD 3.7). Most were female (n=24 [92%]) and of Asian ethnicity (n=16 [62%]). The most common SLE manifestations reported by participants were arthritis (n=17 [65%]) and skin lesions (n=11 [42%]) (table 1).
Participant priorities
Healthcare specialties (11 specialties)
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Also, they did not want other patients and the community to experience the burden of disease they had to endure. Participants believed that improved awareness through education would increase empathy towards young patients with SLE and minimise stigma, particularly in schools. A focus on improving mental health services and research into the impact of SLE on psychological health was believed to help improve the patients’ relationships with family and friends and gain social …show more content…
Cardiovascular health was indicated as an important priority by participants who were acutely conscious of the high rates of cardiovascular-related deaths in patients with SLE. Additionally, the impact of the health complication on quality of life was considered. For example, lupus nephritis was deemed to be a priority due to the potential need for dialysis, and neurological SLE was considered important as it could render patients to become “not themselves anymore”. Participants believed that impaired psychological well-being could have a detrimental effect to their health because of suicidal thoughts, or patients with depression and anxiety could become indifferent and unmotivated about treatment
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,
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
Most know Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) as simply lupus. It is difficult to diagnose and treat but the symptoms can be mentally and physically devastating for any patient. Many may not realize the extent to which a person with SLE is affected on a day to day basis. It is important for healthcare professionals to understand the disease process, including the cause, signs, symptoms, and treatment of SLE. By understanding the aforementioned, healthcare professionals can assist with reporting signs and symptoms to the patient’s doctor to further reach a correct diagnosis, but to provide holistic care to the patient. SLE is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease which means the body’s immune system fallaciously attacks healthy tissues and various organs, in this case, primarily the skin , joints, kidneys, and brain of both men and women.
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
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Georgia Council on Lupus Education and Awareness (GCLEA) partnered to increase community awareness on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and to further educate lupus patients throughout the underserved region of southwest Georgia. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, the most common form of lupus, is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack needed body tissues (“Lupus,” 2018). This specific type of lupus affects major functions of the body including the brain, lungs, skin, and kidneys. Lupus is commonly difficult to diagnose in humans due to its vague symptoms that mimic the symptoms of other major conditions (‘Lupus,” 2017). Presently, researchers are unaware of the origins
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, SLE, is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its own tissue and organs. Inflammation can affect many different body systems including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs. Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because the signs and symptoms, and a physical examination lead to a diagnosis. A facial rash across both cheeks resembling wings of butterfly is the most distinctive sign of lupus that occurs in many but not all cases. There is no cure for lupus and only treatments that can help control symptoms.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-organ autoimmune disorder that can cause significant morbidity and mortality. A large body of evidence has shown that African Americans experience the disease more severely than other racial-ethnic groups. We performed a systematic review in the PubMed and Medline Databases of articles published between January(?) 2000 – December 2014 to evaluate research focused on SLE in African Americans. Articles were classified according to their level of evidence. Our literature review reported a wide range of adverse outcomes in
Imagine you have a normal life, a simple nine to five job, relax afterwards by going out with some friends or staying in to do some tidying up. Everything is easy and nothing is holding you back. Now, imagine doing all those same things while being in pain or with a visible rash across your face. You call out more often, have a hard time focusing on simple tasks such as cleaning, and socialize less often. This has become your new normal. Unfortunately, this is the crushing reality for those who suffer from the chronic symptoms associated with lupus. In the information to follow, it will discuss what lupus is and what it’s symptoms are, how to diagnose and treat lupus, and what can be done to live as normal a life as possible.
Each day I face a challenge to manage and live with Lupus. I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus in May 2002. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the form of the disease that most people refer to when they say “lupus.” The word “systemic” means the disease can affect many parts of the body
Also, since it affects these people in such a general way, diagnosing it is nearly impossible. “Autoimmune diseases cannot be diagnosed by looking at a person's symptoms. It cannot be tested for, either. However, medical specialists can test for the antibodies that come with diseases like SLE. With that, they can assume that it is lupus” (“Questions and Answers about Autoimmunity”). Even though those antibodies are not a sure way of telling who has SLE, that is the closest thing they can get. Until people find a real way to diagnose and cure the disease, they will have to deal with their SLE. As anyone can see, this disease can cause pain in a patient, and it is hard to live with the physical and emotional effects of this
For most people, Lupus is a mild disease affecting only a few organs. For others, it may cause serious and even life-threatening problems. People with Lupus are recommended to have regular medical appointments and take medications as prescribed. One of the most frustrating things for a Lupus patient is being sick. A person can look nice and healthy although they feel very bad inside. Another challenge is that there are no treatments for the most common complaint of Lupus patients: fatigue and memory loss.
The following essay will begin by demonstrating what is understood by the concept of mental health. It will attempt to identify different explanations for the underlying issues causing mental illnesses and it will then centre around a case study focusing specifically on one mental health problem. A description of what the causes and effects of the chosen illness will be given and information on the available treatment will be presented. To round up the assignment a brief explanation of the chosen case study will be included with an attempt to distinguish the common issues identified and how they relate to the literature information provided throughout. In this assignment, the case study chosen will target depression.
Monitoring of SLE in clinical practice is based upon differentiating disease activity from organ damage accrual. A variety of disease activity indices have been formulated, including the SLEDAI (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index), SLAM (Systemic Lupus Activity Measure), BILAG (British Isles Lupus Assessment Group) (Ben-Menachem, 2011).
There is a paucity of published studies on SLE from our country and most of the comparable studies are from Poland where there is a relatively high incidence of SLE and from Singapore and japan. Our study had a comparable incidence of dry eye , decreased visual acuity and retinopathy compared to the polish study by ostanek et al .However the study in Singapore by Yap etal had a much higher incidence of dry eyes and lower retinopathy and decreased visual acuity. (table 1)This could be explained on the basis that being a multispeciality hospital our department tends to see patients with a higher disease activity index and patients on longterm immunosuppression. The strong association between antiphospholipid antibody positivity and vasoocclusive vasculopathy has been seen in several other studies
A cross-sectional study included 100 SLE patients fulfilling the American college of Rheumatology (ACR) revised classification criteria for SLE(8). All patients were recruited randomly from the Rheumatology outpatient clinic and the inpatient ward of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology department at Ain Shams University hospital. The nature of the present study was explained to all participants. The laboratory