Lupus

We know that the immune system’s job is to protect the body from diseases, but sometimes something goes wrong in this system and it attacks the body itself, leading to conditions called autoimmune diseases, like lupus.

What is lupus

It’s a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs in the body as a result of a defect in the immune system, making it attack cells and tissue in these organs.

Lupus occurs in females more than males, especially in the reproductive years (15-44 years), yet it can occur at any age. It also occurs more in African American people.

Lupus can be divided into these types:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus: The most common type and impacts numerous organs in the body.
• Cutaneous lupus erythematous: It only affects the skin.
• Drug-induced lupus: Some medications could trigger lupus symptoms when used. However, this condition is usually temporary and might go away after stopping the medication.
• Neonatal lupus: Some infants are born with lupus.

Causes of lupus

• The reason for this condition is unknown, yet it’s believed that there’s a genetic tendency in some people, and when these tendencies interact with triggering environmental factors, that leads to lupus. These triggers could be intrinsic, like sex hormones, stress, diet, and smoking, or extrinsic, like sunlight or some pollutants.

Symptoms of lupus

The symptoms and their severity differ between people according to the case, and symptoms might also appear suddenly or develop gradually. However, in most cases, symptoms come in the form of flares that are severe at times and mild at others.

The most common symptoms are:

• A rash on the face that looks like a butterfly, and it appears in other places.
• Lesions that become worse under sunlight.
• Pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints and muscles.
• Chest pain and dyspnea.
• Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.
• Fatigue and fever.
• Headaches, confusion, and memory loss.
• Mouth sores.
• Hair loss.
• Dry eye.
• Swelling in the glands in addition to swelling in the face, hands, and feet.

Complications of lupus

Lupus impacts numerous organs in the body and might lead to the following complications:

• Severe damage to the kidneys, which might lead to death.
• Problems in the brain and central nervous system that might cause behavioral changes, dizziness, vision problems, psychosis, strokes, and seizures.
• Problems in the blood vessels and blood clotting.
• Vasculitis in the intestines might lead to life-threatening conditions like perforations, bleeding, ischemia, and sepsis.
• Inflammations in the lungs and heart muscles, in addition to the increasing risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases.
• In pregnant women, lupus increases the risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, and stillbirth.

Diagnosis of lupus

Some symptoms are similar between autoimmune diseases, and lupus symptoms differ between people as well. Therefore, the diagnosis of lupus might be hard and require several tests, which include:

• Medical history of the patient and the family.
• Physical examination.
• Blood and urine tests.
• Kidney and liver tests.
• Antibody tests (they’re produced by the immune system).
• Imaging tests.
• Biopsy from the kidney or skin.

Management of lupus

There isn’t a specific treatment for lupus, but we manage its symptoms and complications through:

• Painkillers and antipyretics.
• Medications to reduce inflammation and swelling.
• Immunosuppressants prevent the immune system from attacking the body.
• Some biologic medications.
• Avoid excessive exposure to sunlight and follow a healthy lifestyle.