What is Lupus

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory disease which has been around forever. However, the condition was identified and named only in 1851 by a French doctor - Pierre Cazenave. The most visible sign of this disease is the presence of scaly red rashes on the surface of the skin. The word 'Lupus' is a Latin word for wolf, and is appropriate due to the butterfly-shaped rashes which resemble the marks of a wolf.

What is Lupus?

The human body consists of an immune system which is designed to protect the body against any attack by foreign substances. For people suffering from Lupus, the immune system starts malfunctioning and destroys the healthy body cells and tissues. The immune system is unable to differentiate between foreign bodies and body tissues, and thus destroys the body tissues and organs. The result of this autoimmune disease is that the attacked tissues and organs become inflamed, red and hot. Swelling is also seen to appear. Lupus can damage different parts of the body such as joints, heart, skin, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels and brain. If the inflammation is not treated, it can lead to severe damage of vital organs and even death.

Types of Lupus

The different types of Lupus are:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus: This type affects most parts of the body and is the most common and dangerous type of lupus found.
• Discoid lupus erythematosus: This type can be characterized by the permanent skin rashes on the face, ears, chest and arms. It is not dangerous to humans and is far milder than the type mentioned above
• Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus: This is also a mild variety of lupus, in which skin sores are developed on the parts of the body exposed to the Sun (especially arms and upper body).
• Drug-induced lupus: This variety can be caused after taking prescription medications.
• Neonatal lupus: This is a rare type of lupus that mostly affects newborns.

How and Who gets Lupus?

Lupus cannot be associated to any gender or particular age. However, women are the ones more affected as compared to men. Women of Hispanic, Asian, African American and Native American descent are known to be more affected by Lupus than Caucasian women. Since Lupus is found to affect more women, scientists believe that it has some connection to female hormones, like estrogen. The saddest part about this disease is that nobody knows what causes it. It is believed that a combination of several factors triggers this disease. However, the relieving fact is that lupus is not contagious. It does not pass from one individual to another, nor is it associated cancer or AIDS. If one has a family history of lupus, then that person is 5% more likely to develop the disease as compared to others.

Symptoms of Lupus

The symptoms of lupus vary from person to person and type to type. However, some of the commonly observed symptoms are:

• Muscle pain, exhaustion and tiredness
• Swollen glands, legs and swelling around the eyes and joints
• Purple coloration of the fingers and toes
• Red rashes across the face, ears and arms
• Loss of hair
• Persistent fever without any cause (above 100º)
• Sensitivity when exposed to the Sun
• Ulcers in the mouth and nose

Besides the above common symptoms, there also exist some not so common symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, depression, confusion, anxiety, anemia and seizures. These symptoms may occur randomly.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lupus

It is not easy to diagnose lupus. After its onset, it may actually take a doctor months or even years to diagnose it. The doctor can conduct blood tests, skin and kidney biopsy to diagnose this disease. There is no cure for this disease, however, proper treatment will help reduce the severity and the symptoms of the disease.

The different medications that a doctor recommends to treat lupus are as follows:

Immuno-suppressive medications: Such medications reduce the normal immune response of the human body. These medication are prescribed when the disease is seen to affect organs like the kidney.

Corticosteroids: These are prescribed to reduce the inflammation caused to organs. The dosage depends on the severity of the disease.

Antimalarial drugs: Antimalarial drugs are used to counter the inflammation of the organs, skin rashes and joints problem. There is no relation between malaria and lupus, yet these antimalarial drugs prove effective. Why and how is still unknown.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen help reduce joints and tissue inflammation.

Patients suffering from lupus must learn to mentally cope with this disease. They must prevent themselves from getting depressed, and should get occupied in activities that reduce their stress. Exercising is one good way of coping with stress. Lupus patients require all the mental and emotional support they can get from family and friends.