I’m Kira Keaslov, and I’m currently participating in the Mechanisms program at Children’s Hospital. In the future, I hope to obtain my undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Northeastern University, and then pursue a medical degree. This class has helped me gain a better understanding of the molecular basis of disease, and I’m interested in applying this knowledge in a laboratory and clinical setting. A family friend is affected by lupus, and it is a very common autoimmune disease. Therefore, I was always interested in understanding the cause and mechanisms of this disease, and how it affects people. Pitch:
SLE is a very complex disease, and is not fully understood. It affects every aspect of a person’s lifestyle, and there
…show more content…
However, in SLE, the goalie starts scoring goals in their own goal, making the body sick without any germs. When this happens, the body reacts in different ways. Sometimes a person’s joints hurt, they have a fever, can be very tired, and they get a rash on their face. This rash is very common in lupus, and helped gave the disease a name. Lupus means “wolf” in Latin, and Rogerius, a doctor in the thirteenth century, believed this rash looked like wolf bites. (Lupus Research Institution) Since lupus is caused from a problem inside the body, it isn’t able to be passed from person to person like an infection such as the flu. But, the problems within the body can sometimes be passed genetically through a family. There are several ways to treat SLE, and they work by calming down the immune system, making it less powerful and stopping it from hurting the body. However, the body still needs the immune system to protect it from outside germs, so sometimes someone who is being treated for lupus can get sick from other illnesses much faster.
Disease Description (Medium Level):
Although this disease has been recognized for many decades, diagnosis was difficult. In the middle ages, SLE was thought to just affect the skin, but in 1872, Kaposi recognized the systemic nature of this disease (History of Disease). The immune system was not understood at that time, so until the discovery of the LE cell by
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)
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. ”#
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.
Let alone the cause of this horrible disease. One of the most commonly suspected reasons for systemic lupus erythemotosus (SLE) is a very low iron count. Low iron has a veriaty of effects on the body including the feeling of being cold, low blood count (anemia), and impaired immune defiecency, ect.. Thus the low iron syptom seems to add up with lupus making doctor think that low iron can have a leading from in the disease.
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
Do you know that there is currently three types of lupus? Discoid lupus, systemic lupus erythematosus, and lupus like a disorder called destroyer made lupus. Discoid lupus remains limited to our skin and be present in the form of a rash that appears on your face, neck or scalp. The appearance of the rash may possibly be more outward on areas of the skin exposed to electromagnetic lighting. While close by stand many forms of lupus epidemics the most communal is elevated, incrusted and rosy nevertheless not irritated. SLE remains commonly extra plain than discoid lupus. Do you know Discoid lupus is a form of lupus that is be able to cause inflammation in your organs?On behalf of nearly half of our society, this can be to
Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that affects your immune system. This means the body’s natural defense system attacks healthy tissues instead of attacking only bacteria/viruses, therefore leading to inflammation. Lupus is a lifelong disease, but with good medical care patients can lead a full life. It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans have this disease, and it strikes mostly women around the age of 15-44. However, men/teenagers can get this disease as well; the common age for getting Lupus is 15-44. This disease is not contagious! You can’t “catch,” or “give” Lupus to anyone, not even through sexual contact. Lupus is not related to cancer, HIV, or AIDS. In HIV/AIDS patients your immune system is underactive, and in Lupus your immune system is overactive. Some ways to inform others about Lupus is to know the causes, symptoms, and treatment.
If you must have a terrible disease, Lupus is a particularly shitty one to have; not only does it make you feel horrible every single day, but to make matters even worse, most people don 't understand what it is or even really believe that it 's a thing. If you have cancer, people pray for you, run 5ks in your name, and make T-shirts with motivational sayings like "Save the Tatas" on them. When you have Lupus, people tell you that you should really work on a more positive mental attitude and make a five-year plan that includes a job that you 'll probably be able to do despite your inconvenient infirmity.
Lupus has no known cause, which makes it so hard to treat. Doctors believe lupus can be caused in two
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.
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).
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 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,
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.