Everything You Should Know About Lupus

Lupus is a chronic disease in which the immune system falsely attacks healthy cells.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly identifies healthy cells as foreign and attacks them.

Lupus has an intermittent nature and can take various forms. However, since most people know very little about this disease, we are now reporting more about the symptoms and ailments.

What is lupus

When the immune system attacks your own body, it can lead to a wide variety of complaints. In this disease, these are unpredictable and usually progress in a bursty manner.

When the immune system is disrupted, antibodies are then formed which attack components of the cells or parts of the cell nucleus.

As a result, inflammations develop in internal oranges (heart, lungs, kidneys) and also in the joints and muscles. In addition, the blood system is then also affected.

The immune system

As mentioned earlier, it is an autoimmune disease, so knowing more about how the immune system works is very useful in order to understand this disease.

• The immune system consists of various organs, cells, tissues and proteins.
• The cooperation of all systems involved is of great importance in order to protect the body from pathogens.
• This can, for example, repel bacteria, germs and microorganisms that are everywhere and can damage the body.

What if the immune system isn’t working properly? As with lupus, it can then happen, among other things, that one’s own body cells are attacked,  which can have serious consequences.

Types of lupus

There are three different types of lupus:

1. Systemic lupus erythematosus

This most common type is also called SLE for short.

• The most important systems and in particular organs such as the heart, brain and kidneys are then usually attacked.
• The clinical picture is very broad, whereby there are different forms. Some patients have only a few symptoms, while in others the disease has serious consequences.

2. Cutaneous lupus or skin lupus

In this case, the skin is mainly affected,  and the symptoms are often visible on the face and scalp. 

Usually redness and rashes develop, skin changes with scaly pigment spots, etc., which can occur individually or in several places.

3. Drug Induced Lupus

The course of this disease is similar to the systemic one, but the cause is a drug. The  discontinuation of treatment may be sufficient to improve the symptoms,  which are usually lower than for systemic ways.

How can you recognize the disease?

This disease is complex, not only for those affected, but also for the attending physician.

Diagnosing lupus can be very difficult, but there are several signs that will help identify lupus. The most common of these are:

• Joint pain
• Inflammation of the joints
• Swelling of the thyroid gland
• Extreme as well as inexplicable fatigue
• Hair loss
• Extreme sadness and anxiety
• Rashes on the face
• Chest pain

Do not forget…

These symptoms come on in flares, and if you do, you should see a doctor who can make a correct diagnosis.

The causes of this disease are still largely unknown. Genetic factors probably play an important role, but in principle anyone can get lupus.

Although there is no cure, there are many different therapies for treating lupus. Get advice from a specialist.

Talking to other sufferers can also be very helpful in order to better deal with this disease.

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