What is Lupus? Causes of Lupus
Lupus symptoms, causes and treatments. Lupus is a disorder of the immune system, in which a body’s own cells attack healthy tissues. It is nine times more common among women than men. Unlike other forms of immune disorder and/or arthritis, it also attacks the patients’ vital organs such as kidneys, lungs, heart, and brain. It is more common among African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.
Lupus symptoms. Because there are five types of lupus, it has many symptoms, but the most common symptoms are joint pain and swelling, fever, muscle pain, rashes (usually on the face and back), and fatigue.
It can also cause chest pain when breathing deeply, hair loss, pale or purple fingers and toes, sun sensitivity, mouth ulcers and swollen glands. Some other of its symptoms include headaches, dizziness, depression, and confusion which are mistaken in women for menopause. Other symptoms, like seizures, can be mistaken for life-threatening conditions like septic fever, an aneurysm, diabetic low blood sugar, or substance abuse withdrawal. The most misdiagnosed of its symptoms remains swelling in the legs.
Doctors can prevent the disease from doing even more damage by prescribing medicine that reduce swelling, balance hormones, control pain, and suppress immune reactions. These include antimalarial drugs like hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), oral corticosteroids like prednisone, and immune suppression drugs like belimumab, methotrexate, or mycophenolate mofetil.
Because it affects so many areas of the body, patients may need to consult a number of specialists such as immunologists, rheumatologists, neurologists, cardiologists, skin and blood specialists, and doctors who treat glandular/hormonal defects. It is suspected to have a genetic link, and eventually it may be possible to prevent it.
At the moment, treatment is aimed at preserving organ function, preventing damaging flares, and treating the pain and sometimes unique difficulties that come with lupus. Consistent medical care is needed to anticipate flares, which can begin with fatigue, pain, rashes, fever, stomach troubles, headaches, or dizziness.