What is Lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s own immune system starts attacking the tissues and organs. The inflammation resulting from lupus affects different body parts like skin, blood cells, brain, heart, lungs and kidneys. It is a long term systematic autoimmune condition.
Types
There are different kinds of lupus, but the most important and familiar type is Systemic lupus erythematosus. Other types are discoid, neonatal and drug-induced.
Systemic lupus erythematosus
SLE is a systemic condition and can affect the whole body and is most severe than the other types. It causes inflammation in the skin, joints, blood, heart, and kidneys.
Discoid lupus erythematosus
In this only skin is affected and a rash appears on the face, neck, and scalp. DLE doesn’t affect internal organs, but people with DLE often develop SLE later in life.
Drug-induced lupus
This occurs due to a reaction to a certain type of prescription drug. Drugs that are commonly associated with this type of lupus are
- Hypertension medication
- Arrhythmia medication
- Certain type of antibiotic that treats Tuberculosis
Symptoms usually go away when the person stops taking medications.
Neonatal Lupus
1% of women with SLE give birth to a baby with neonatal lupus. At birth babies with neonatal lupus have a rash on skin, liver problems with low blood count.
Symptoms
Symptoms of lupus occur when the condition is flared-up. It has a wide range of symptoms including
- Fatigue
- Weight loss and loss of appetite
- Pain and swelling in joints
- Swollen glands
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Skin rashes
- Fever
- Mouth ulcer
- Chest pain during breathing
- Arthritis
Treatment
There is as such no cure for lupus but people can manage their symptoms through medications and lifestyle changes.