World Lupus Day
SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)
May 10th is World Lupus Day so I decided to choose SLE for this month’s topic.
SLE is an autoimmune disease that affects mostly women and it is usually diagnosed during childbearing years. This disease can be very serious and can get pretty complicated due to the fact that it can affect almost any part of the body. In Lupus, your body can’t tell the difference between what is good and what is bad so it tries to attack healthy tissue. The most commonly affected areas in Lupus are the kidneys, lungs, heart, brain, skin and joints.
In the past, receiving a Lupus diagnosis had a very grim outlook. However, we have made many medical advances and today most people can expect to have a normal lifespan. Lupus varies in degree and can be mild or severe, you can experience flare ups, or sometimes it will go into remission for years. The body’s immune system is overactive in lupus so this often leads to chronic inflammation. Almost everyone with Lupus will at some point experience joint pain and swelling. Lupus sufferers are also very sensitive to sunlight. The sun’s rays can cause nausea, fatigue, rashes and joint pain so it is best to always wear sunblock and protective clothing. Kidney disease is also very common in Lupus so doctors will always monitor this closely.
Signs and symptoms of Lupus are: Joint pain and swelling, fever, skin rashes like the “butterfly rash”, discoid lesions, chest pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, hair loss, mouth sores and sensitivity to light. Severe symptoms are: Headaches, stroke, blood in urine, psychosis, nausea, vomiting, and vision problems. If you feel you have any of these symptoms please contact your doctor and get checked out. It's always better to be on the safe side of things.
For over 50 years there were no new drugs approved for the safe treatment of Lupus. However, in April of 2011, the FDA announced their approval of a new medication. This gave hope to Lupus patients everywhere and we will hopefully keep seeing advancements in the fight against this chronic disease.
On personal note… I was diagnosed with SLE in 2002. I am coming up on my 10 year mark and I am happy to report that I am doing better than ever. My Lupus was very aggressive in the beginning but over time my doctors have been able to get it under control and currently I only have very mild symptoms when I have any at all. I hope that one day there will be a cure for those of us with Lupus but until then I plan on living my life the way I always have and doing everything I can to support the search for a cure.
~Rachel
~Rachel
For more information on lupus please see the following link for the Lupus Foundation of America www.lupus.org
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