Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): Symptoms of Lupus

What is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)?

Lupus is chronic inflammation of body tissues caused by autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses that occur when the body's tissues are attacked by its own immune system. Immune system of the body, fight against the infectious agents by producing antibodies. Patients with lupus produce abnormal antibodies in their blood that target tissues within their own body rather than foreign infectious agents. Because the antibodies and accompanying cells of inflammation can involve tissues anywhere in the body, lupus has the potential to affect a variety of areas of the body. Sometimes lupus can cause disease of the skin, heart, lungs, kidneys, joints, and/or nervous system. When only the skin is involved, the condition is called discoid lupus. When internal organs are involved, the condition is called systemic lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease, is uncommon in the pediatric population but must routinely be considered in the evaluation of patients who prevent with constitutional symptoms and disease of one or more organ systems. Both discoid and systemic lupus are more common in women than men. The disease can affect all ages but most commonly begins from age 20 to 45 years.

Symptoms of lupus

The most common symptoms of lupus include constitutional complaints like fever, headache, fatigue, changes in weight, hair loss, hives, high blood pressure, joint pain and stiffness with or without swelling, skin rashes, swollen glands, sun sensitivity and chest pain.

Fever: The fever is usually low fevers that last for a long time or sudden high fevers.

Headaches: Headaches especially severe, migraine like ones.

Fatigue: Fatigue sudden exhaustion that has nothing to do with any physical activity you might have undertaken.

Changes in weight: Losing or gaining weight for no reason at all.

Hair Loss: Lots of hair falling out when you shampoo or brush it can be due to lupus.

Hives: Hives raised often itchy patches of skin that break out on any region of your body and then disappear soon after.

High Blood Pressure: High Blood Pressure if left undetected and untreated, high blood pressure can lead to damaged blood vessels, which in turn may lead to heart failure.

Joint Pain: Joint involvement is considered to be one of the most prevalent symptoms of lupus. The pain can occur in the hands, arms, legs, or feet, as well as in joints – the shoulders, hips, lower jaw, and knees. Joint aches and pains are so common that, as you have already read, this is one of the criteria used by physicians in diagnosing lupus.

Skin Rashes: Rashes can be upsetting because you may feel that they distort your appearance. You may feel they attract attention to you, and certainly not the kind you want. You may be apprehensive that people will shun you, fearing that your lupus and its rash are contagious.

Swollen Glands: Swollen glands although common in healthy teens, recurrent swelling can indicate lupus.

Chest Pain: Chest pain is commonly due to either pleurities or pericarditis. The lining around the heart is called pericardium. If this lining becomes inflamed, the resulting condition is called pericarditis, the most common cardiac problem in lupus.

Sun sensitivity: People who have unusual reactions to sunlight are said to be photosensitive. It is estimated that about forty percent of all individuals with lupus experience adverse reactions to the ultraviolet rays that come from the sun and from fluorescent lighting. The other sixty percent or more may not need to be as concerned about the material covered. But since lupus varies so much, everyone should be aware of the potential problems resulting from photosensitivity.

If one or more of these symptoms last for several months, they could signal the early stages of lupus. Once lupus is diagnosed, some symptoms might disappear with treatment. Others however, may become permanent aspects of the disease.

Specific Symptoms:

Specific symptoms are ones that are particular to a certain disease. In the case of lupus, such symptoms are produced by inflammation of one, or a combination of many, of the bodies numerous tissues and organs. The resulting ailments are virtually endless. In addition to the above common symptoms, as many as eighty four percent of patients with lupus have evidence of renal disease at the time of presentation. Other particularly noteworthy manifestations include hypertension, Raynaud phenomenon, oral or nasal mucosal sores, alopecia, photosensitivity, hematologic disease, gastrointestinal symptoms and central nervous system or peripheral nervous system abnormalities. Because chorea may be the sole presenting manifestation of lupus, this disease should be considered whenever a child presents with chorea.