Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by unusual autoantibodies in the blood that target tissues of the body. While in the past a diagnosis of SLE often suggested a decreased life span due to internal organ system involvement or to toxic effects of therapy, recent improvements in research have dramatically enhanced the survival of SLE patients with the most severe and life-threatening symptoms. Unfortunately, treatments for SLE remain inadequate as many patients have incompletely controlled disease, progression to end stage organ involvement continues, and current therapies carry potential risks of debilitating side effects. Therefore, it is important to create an environment that will …show more content…
Signs can also come on suddenly or develop slowly. “SLE most commonly produces inflammation of the skin, joints, nervous system, kidneys, lungs, and other organs. A Charachteristic butterfly rash, or erythema, may be present on the face, spreading from cheek to cheek, across the nose, to the other cheek. SLE may begin acutely with fever, fatigue, joint pain, and malaise, or may develop slowly over a period of years, with intermittent fever, malaise, joint deformities, and weight loss.” (Drzymkowski, 2013, p. 149). Most people with lupus have mild disease characterized by episodes — called flares — when signs and symptoms get worse for a while, then improve or even disappear completely for a time. If you experience these types of symptoms, it is important to visit a doctor to seek treatment. To screen the patient for Lupus, this requires a complete medical evaluation and once diagnosed, seek a referral to a …show more content…
You may be able to prevent flare-ups of the illness by avoiding exposure to the sun as much as possible and using sunscreen when you are in the sun. "The best thing you can do is live a healthy lifestyle," says Ellen Ginzler, MD, a professor of medicine and chief of rheumatology at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, in New York City. "Stay active, eat a healthy diet, stay out of the sun, and don't smoke." (Illiades, 2015). Flare ups can also be prevented by staying on schedule with medications and not missing
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.
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
Diagnosis: When trying to diagnose lupus the first evaluation done by the doctor is looking for signs of rash, inflammation, heat and redness, also asking for symptoms, taking laboratory tests, medical history from close family members such as brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents.
Systemic Lupus Erythematous will affect people in different ways. The joints, lungs, kidneys, blood, the heart affected are the worst affect Systemic, .Lupus Erythematous can damage a person that have it. The type of lupus is also often categorized by periods of flare when the disease is living and periods of decrease when the disease is hidden. The signs and symptoms range from rashes on the cheeks, Ulcers in your mouth, red palms and hands, joint pain, joint redness, swelling of the joints, their face and legs become very swollen, the shortness of breath, rapid or irregular heartbeat, chest pain, hair loss, swelling of lymph glands, protein in the urine, increase sensitivity to the sun and last but not least mental changes. The people that have lupus in the blood will be affect because they may start developing anemia, leukopenia which is a decreasing number of white blood cells, or thrombocytopenia which is a decreasing in the number of platelets in the blood, which assist in clotting. A lot of people with the disease lupus that on autoantibody called antiphospholipid antibodies have an increased risk of blood clots. The people that have lupus in the heart are at risk because of the inflammation can occur in the heart itself or the membrane that surrounds itself (pericarditis), causing chest pain or other symptoms. The disease lupus have endocarditis which can damage the heart
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.
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 is a very rare and severe autoimmune disease. While the symptoms vary, lupus commonly affects the skin, joints, and mucous membrane (Brown, Bond, & Waldron, 2014). However, systemic lupus erythematosus (or lupus, for short) can become a multi-organ disease resulting in further complications. Because lupus is so rare and the symptoms vary, diagnosis is difficult and often does not occur until the disease is in its latter stages. However, in the detection of the disease, Brown, Bond, and Waldron (2014) express the importance of noticing certain common symptoms in young females, which are severe fatigue, mouth ulcers, headaches, rashes (especially those caused by the sun), and flitting arthralgasis (joint pain) and
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.
Some may include: Achy joints, Fever of over 100 degrees, arthritis, extreme fatigue, skin rashes, anxiety, kidney involvement, pain in the chest area or trouble breathing, rash, light sensitivity, hair loss, blood clotting problems, seizures, and mouth and nose ulcers. This is a giant list of symptoms, but many people who have Lupus do not experience more then one or two of these symptoms. (The Lupus Foundation of America, The Lupus Page)
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).
An Autoimmune disease is very serious condition that affects millions of people around the world. Lupus is one of those Autoimmune diseases.
Treatment is vital toward helping lupus patients expand their life span, but there are many issues regarding medical treatment. Trethewey (2004) discussed that due to the level of difficulty with developing effective lupus specific treatments because of the mechanisms that normally prevent the immune system from attacking an individual’s own body are defective; there are general treatment options. The general treatment options are dependent on the individual’s signs and symptoms and severity. According to Lupus Foundation Of America (2013), the general treatment options that are available for individuals with lupus are Anti-Inflammatories (reduces inflammation and pain), Corticosteroids (act as naturally occurring hormones), Antimalarials (mainly used for skin rashes, mouth
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.
Lupus can lay in remission making all symptoms improve and thus, making the patient feel better but can also have fares-ups that can be chronic which create symptoms that can last several weeks and often for many years causing the individual it affects to feel
Lupus crept into my life when I was least expecting it, but when it came, it pierced my life and my body. At the most unsuspecting moments, my back ignites in flames and my joints swell up, augmenting my pain to the extent where my entire body becomes numb. Weekly doctor visits, bi-weekly therapy