| In 2001 my wife diagnosed with Lupus. Our initial | | | | In Latinos the figure is near one in five hundred. |
| reaction was to nod and try and look like we knew | | | | What doctors treat Lupus? |
| what the doctor was talking about, but quite simply | | | | This depends on your symptoms and severity; |
| we had heard about it, but never knew what it was. | | | | generally your GP will be able to treat you or let you |
| Once we arrived home we started to investigate | | | | know which specialist to see. In sever cases a |
| what the disease was and became very scared as | | | | rheumatologist will control treatment. Others include |
| we read the words 'disease' and 'death'. However, on | | | | dermatologist, immunologist etc. It is important that |
| reading more, it became evident that Lupus is a | | | | you make regular visits to the optician. |
| disease that can be controlled, doesn't often lead to | | | | Do all sufferers have the same symptoms? |
| death, but is certainly life changing. | | | | No, and this is why the disease is so hard to |
| What is Lupus? | | | | diagnose. The symptoms and severity will differ from |
| It is a long-lasing auto-immune disease. (As Auto | | | | one person to the next. |
| means self, autoimmune means the immune system | | | | What is a 'flare'? |
| essentially attacks the body instead of fighting | | | | Lupus can lie dormant (or in remission) for many |
| viruses and bad tissue.) The immune system is | | | | weeks or months only to flare up. Flares usually |
| hyperactive and for reasons unknown attacks | | | | indicate heightened disease activity. |
| healthy tissue. These attacks have wide-ranging | | | | Can Lupus symptoms change? |
| effects - see below for more details. | | | | Symptoms will vary from week to week, however it |
| What types of lupus are there? and what are their | | | | is unlikely that the affected organ system will change |
| symptoms? | | | | Is lupus contagious? |
| Discoid (also known as Cutaneous lupus) affects the | | | | No. |
| skin - the symptoms vary (depending on the | | | | Is there a cure for lupus? |
| severity) - skin rashes, photosensitivity (i.e. sensitive | | | | No, but there is a great deal of research going on |
| to sun), & sometimes mouth or nose ulcers. | | | | (especially with Genomes). The disease can be |
| Systemic attacks multiple systems in the body | | | | controlled using medications |
| (generally more severe than Discoid) - the skin, joints, | | | | What are the treatments for Lupus? |
| blood, lungs, kidneys, heart, brain & nervous | | | | As many of the symptoms are due to inflammation |
| system - the symptoms vary (again the symptoms | | | | the general treatment aims to control and reduce the |
| will vary depending on severity) - Arthritis, muscle | | | | inflammation. The general drugs used are Nonsteroidal |
| pain and weakness, fatigue, sun-sensitivity, hair loss, a | | | | anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, |
| rash across the nose and cheeks, fever, anemia, | | | | antimalarials, & cytotoxic drugs (chemotherapy). |
| headaches, recurrent miscarriages. | | | | I am not qualified to go into any real detail on each |
| Can Discoid evolve into Systemic? | | | | of these drugs. |
| Yes - about 10% of the cases of Discoid will evolve | | | | Is there a connection between lupus & allergies? |
| into Systemic (it is advisable to get blood tests | | | | Allergies produce specific antibodies to substances |
| annually). | | | | (e.g. pollen, grass, smoke etc). Lupus sufferers are |
| What Causes Lupus? | | | | often sensitive to the same substances. |
| No-one really knows. There are probably various | | | | Is lupus fatal? |
| factors ranging from your genes to certain triggers | | | | The majority of people (90%) with the disease WILL |
| (such as environment or stress) Other triggers include | | | | LIVE A NORMAL life span. This is due to the fact |
| Ultraviolet light, certain prescription drugs & | | | | that detection of Lupus has improved over the last |
| antibiotics, infections or viruses, hormones (many | | | | twenty years and medication is able to control the |
| women undergoing 'changes' suffer from Lupus. | | | | disease. |
| Is Lupus hereditary? | | | | What are the most common causes of death with |
| Although it isn't proven, there is a high probability that | | | | Lupus? |
| it is hereditary. | | | | Generally the two major causes of death are kidney |
| How Common is Lupus? | | | | failure and overwhelming infection. |
| The disease occurs more in some ethnic groups in | | | | Are people with lupus more likely to develop cancer? |
| others. | | | | There is no link between Lupus and cancer; however |
| In Caucasians the figure is about one in a thousand. | | | | those receiving certain chemotherapy drugs as |
| In Africa-Americans the figure is closer to one in two | | | | treatment do have a higher risk of developing cancer. |
| hundred and fifty. | | | | |