Lupus-When Your Immune System Attacks Your Own Body

Lupus is a disease that sees an individual's own immune system attacks organs or cells in their body. Known as a multi-system disease because many organs can be involved, lupus got its name because the rash that often accompanies the affliction resembled a wolf bite, as "lupus" is Latin for "wolf". The severity of lupus varies from person to person, from very mild to life-threatening, and lupus is more commonly found in women than in men. A chronic ailment, lupus is typified by periods of remission and activity, but the outlook for those with lupus is much better today than in the past, as advances in medicines and diagnosis have been made.

There are three types of lupus; systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), discoid lupus erythematosus, and drug-induced lupus-of the trio, the first is by far the most common form of the disease. With lupus, rather than simply performing its job of battling foreign substances in the body, the immune system also turns against healthy tissue. The result precipitates damage to different parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, blood vessels, lungs, heart, and even the brain. Why lupus occurs is not clearly understood, but researchers think that a combination of heredity, environment, and hormones come into play. Drug induced lupus is brought about by the constant use of certain prescription drugs, including high blood pressure medications, and those used to treat tuberculosis, heart problems, and ulcers. This triggering of lupus takes months or years to happen, and only a small percentage of the people taking these drugs will contract the illness, men more than women in this version of the malady. The fact that so many more women than men come down with SLE leads science to believe that female hormones are somehow involved.

The first stage of lupus comes with symptoms that resemble so many other diseases that a diagnosis is difficult. Tiredness, muscle and joint pain, and fever are the most common signs of lupus. Joints such as the hands, knees, and wrists are the ones that hurt in most lupus sufferers. A skin rash shows up in one out of three lupus patients, and hair loss can occur. The kidneys are one organ system that half of those with lupus experience problems with, and the swelling of the sac that holds the heart, the pericardium, is the most familiar heart dilemma associated with lupus. Brain and nerve problems crop up in fifteen percent of lupus cases, and fifty percent of the individuals with lupus develop some type of lung disease. Anemia, a condition where the red blood cell count is low, is seen in many lupus patients, as blood diseases are common, and a lot of those with lupus will at some point have painless ulcers form in their mouth and their nose.

The American College of Rheumatology has eleven criteria for lupus of which a person needs to exhibit four or more to be diagnosed with the disease. They include the butterfly-shaped red rash on the cheeks, known as a malar rash. The discoid rash consists of raised red patches with scaling of the skin, and is seen in discoid lupus erythematosus. Sensitivity to light, where a rash develops after the person has been exposed to the sun, is another of the criteria, as is the onset of the oral ulcers. Arthritis in the joints, with swelling and tenderness present, is part of this diagnosis, along with kidney disease, the swelling of the pericardium, neurological disorders, blood disorders, and the presence of antibodies that can affect the body's healthy tissues.

Any of the parts of the body that lupus affects can develop potentially life-threatening complications from the disease if is not properly treated. Lupus is treated according to what organs of the body are involved, with medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antimalarial drugs proving very useful. Corticosteroids can ease inflammation associated with lupus, but have some risky side effects, and immune system suppressors like Imuran and Cytoxan are available for those with terrible organ failure from lupus. Those with lupus can live productive lives, depending on how they are touched by the affliction, while those with lupus in its more serious forms are at much greater risk of perishing from this immune system disorder. There are so many different ways that lupus can affect someone, but as science learns more about this ailment, advances in treatment will continue to be made.