Systemic Lupus Erythematous Research Paper

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause that can affect virtually any part of the body. The medical term for Lupus is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or better known as SLE. With Lupus there is a malfunction in some of the cells of the immune system. "In Lupus, the body overreacts to an unknown stimulus and makes to many antibodies, or proteins directed against body tissue. Thus, Lupus is called an autoimmune disease. ”#

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

A butterfly to many individuals may speak of love, trust, or opportunity yet to some a butterfly could speak of trouble, pain, and vacancy. The butterfly, now attached to a sickening infection, has turned into the image of a rising disease known as Lupus. For many the fight to cure Lupus has taken a major role in their lives.

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.

Description: Lupus is an autoimmune disease which attacks the healthy body immune system. This immune disorder attacks the brain, kidneys, joints, skin, and other organs in the body.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, or Erythematous, also known as SLE, is a chronic inflammatory, autoimmune disease that transpires when the body’s own immune system assaults, with “variable manifestations”, it’s own tissues and organ systems throughout the itself1,2,3. This can also include joints, heart, lungs, skin, brain, blood cells, etc1. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is known to have an impact on the organ network involved with immune complexes and multiple antibodies, especially antinuclear antibodies, or ANAs, an abnormal antibody that is targeted to cause certain edemas throughout the body and different tissues4.

Inflammation of the Kidneys is one of the most serious symptoms of Lupus. When the Kidney are not working properly they leak protein and is eliminated through urination with the lack of protein causes fluid retention and causes swelling or Edema in the lower extremities. This symptom is one of the first signs of lupus nephritis. Lupus affects the kidney functions to remove waste products and excess fluids from the body. A biopsy is used to determine the extent and severity of kidney disease. The tissue gathered is then examined through a microscope to determine inflammation and scarring. Once all the factors are gathered such as amount of protein in the urine, reduction of kidney function, and the Biopsy of the kidney drug therapy may be used to control inflammation and suppress the activity of the immune system. Although high dose of medications may have many side effects when used at high does it is needed to get the inflammation under control and then can be tapered down to a low does with lower side

Systematic lupus Erythematous (SLE or Lupus) can affect any organ in the body and may cause a wide range of symptoms. SLE symptoms can vary from person to person and can change over time. Lupus affects 1.5 million Americans and millions more worldwide lupus.org (N.d) 2016. The cause of lupus is unknown some research have found genetics and hormones are to play a role. The majorities of people with lupus 90% are female, and they seemed to develop signs and symptoms of the illness between the ages of 15 and 44 (2016). Children are affected with lupus. Approximately 5,000 to 10,000 of the million Americans with lupus are diagnosed while under the age of 18 (2016).African American women are three times more likely than Caucasian women to get lupus

In the getting to know you class discussion, I had mentioned that I was diagnosed with Lupus almost five years ago. With my experience with this disease it limits me most of the time on what I can do and my husband would have to assisst me to the bathroom or showering. Lupus has really affected my joints, to where I can't walk sometimes because it's painful or having issues with restrictive lung disease to where I have to wear my oxcygen mask because I am only breathing out of fourty percent of my lungs. The drive the motivation and the determination lets me look passed my disability because I am very passionate about becoming a minister and sharing my life experiences and the love of Jesus Christ with others.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is an autoimmune disorder that cause the body to attack its own connective tissue. The diseases effects patients largely in the skin and is thought to be named after the fact that some patients have rashes that resemble a wolf. Lupus also is a disease that is uncommon, appearing in 0.1% of the population and a 9:1 ratio in retrospect of women to men who have the disease. A study of the disease was done by the university of Iowa in 2006 that compared the levels of protein in the blood of patients with Lupus to that of patients who didn’t. To go further, there were 30 participants in the trial and half of those thirty were patients without Lupus.

Elsa lives in the North of England. After she found out she had Lupus for a period of six years, the doctor consultant advised her that her pregnancy was safe. In 2008, following the birth of her daughter, her kidney malfunctioned. She had not known the impact of the disease on her life. She says that the illness made her long hair thick, which gradually fell off her head. This traumatized her also because of the way people treated her when they learnt she was suffering from Lupus. Elsa felt so damaged physically and physiologically, and made her feel uncertain of plans of having more children. Her future seemed unpredictable (Samsom, 2010).

This research paper will explain what lupus is to help others get a better understanding of this diseases. It will cover the history ,and tell us how many people are affected by this silent killer. There are several different types of lupus in this paper we will discuss Systemic Lupus Erythematosus which effect different organs.One will learn which part of the body this disease affects,the signs and symptoms, even the treatment and the side effects.

“The most common symptoms of lupus include painful or swollen joints (arthritis), unexplained fever, and extreme fatigue. Because many people with lupus are sensitive to sunlight (called photosensitivity), skin rashes often first develop or worsen after sun exposure”(National Institutes of Health). “Chest pain, hair loss, anemia (a decrease in red blood cells), mouth ulcers, and pale or purple fingers and toes from cold and stress are also other symptoms of SLE.” “New symptoms may continue to appear years after the initial diagnosis, and different symptoms can occur at different times” (National Institutes of

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 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)