Lupus Facts

• Lupus is an autoimmune disease. (immune system disorder)
• Lupus is a lifelong illness.
• There is no cure for lupus.
• Lupus is rarely life threatening.
• It can be very difficult to diagnose lupus.
• Lupus is not contagious.
• Woman in the child bearing years are the biggest group affected by lupus.
• Lupus symptoms can be different for each individual.
• Lupus can flare up and can also go into remission.
• The name "Lupus" is a Latin term meaning wolf.

What is Lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system malfunctions and attack's the body's own tissues. The immune system is designed to fight foreign invaders such as viruses, bacteria, toxins, parasites, fungi, and other harmful organisms. However with lupus, the immune system treats its own cells and tissues as though they were a foreign invader, causing inflammation, pain and injury to tissues. The lupus symptoms most affected are the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys. This is unlike many other autoimmune diseases in which just one organ in the body is affected.

For example:

• In diabetes, the pancreas is affected
• In Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the thyroid gland is affected
• In anemia, the stomach is affected
• In Addison's disease, the adrenal glands are affected

It is estimated that approximately 1,400,000 in the US, 30,000 in the UK and 50,000 in Canada have lupus. 90% of those affected with Lupus are women. Lupus is more common in black women than in white women.

Types of Lupus

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Most lupus sufferers have systemic lupus erythematosus. Systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE can affect the joints, skin, lungs, heart, blood, kidney, or nervous system, and any other organ in the body. SLE symptoms include the following: swollen joints, extreme fatigue, skin rashes, pain in the chest (pleurisy), sun sensitivity and hair loss. Generally these symptoms will show up at different times in different people, making it hard for doctors to diagnose. Lupus symptoms will also flare up and go into remission, making it an unpredictable disease.

Discoid Lupus

Cutaneous (skin) lupus is more commonly known as discoid lupus. Not as common or as serious as systemic lupus, discoid lupus always affects the skin. It may also involve the hair and mucous membranes. There are a number of different kinds of rashes that will appear on the face, neck or scalp. These rashes can be painful and very unsightly.

Drug Induced Lupus

Drug induced lupus erythematosus is the side affect that occurs with the extended use of certain medications. Medications such as hydralazine (used to treat high blood pressure or hypertension) and procainamide (used to treat irregular heart rhythms). Only a very small percentage of those prescribed these medications will develop lupus. The symptoms are similar to those of SLE and usually decline one or two weeks after the medication is stopped.

The Worst Part of Lupus

For anyone who has lupus, these symptoms are as bad or worse then they sound. My wife, Jennifer, has systemic lupus. (Read Jennifer's Lupus story.) From our experience with lupus the physical symptoms are not the only frightening thing about this terrible autoimmune disease. Sometimes not knowing what is wrong with you is often the worst part. Going to the doctors before a proper diagnosis and having them tell you that there is "nothing wrong with you" only adds to the stress. Because of the many different symptoms, lupus is hard to diagnose and is often referred to as "the disease with a 1000 faces".