Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease. Your body's immune system is like an army with hundreds of soldiers. The immune system's job is to fight foreign substances in the body, like germs and viruses. But in autoimmune diseases, the immune system is out of control. It attacks healthy tissues, not germs.

Lupus is invisible. It’s painful and exhausting. Lupus is a chronic and currently incurable disease that is often misdiagnosed and very much misunderstood. You can't catch lupus from another person. It isn't cancer, and it isn't related to AIDS.

Lupus is a disease that can affect many parts of the body. Everyone reacts differently. One person with lupus may have swollen knees and fever. Another person may be tired all the time or have kidney trouble. Someone else may have rashes.
Lupus can attack the joints, tissues, organs, brain, and can cause so many unbearable side effects. Lupus can also be deadly.

Lupus may be hard to diagnose. It's often mistaken for other diseases. For this reason, lupus has been called the "great imitator." The signs of lupus differ from person to person. Some people have just a few signs; others have more.

The most common signs of lupus are:

•Red rash or color change on the face, often in the shape of a butterfly across the nose and cheeks
•Painful or swollen joints
•Unexplained fever
•Chest pain with deep breathing
•Swollen glands
•Extreme fatigue (feeling tired all the time)
•Unusual hair loss (mainly on the scalp)
•Pale or purple fingers or toes from cold or stress
•Sensitivity to the sun
•Low blood count
•Depression, trouble thinking, and/or memory problems

Other signs are mouth sores, unexplained seizures (convulsions), "seeing things" (hallucinations), repeated miscarriages, and unexplained kidney problems. And the list can go on.

What Is a Flare?

When symptoms appear, it's called a "flare." These signs may come and go. You may have swelling and rashes one week and no symptoms at all the next. You may find that your symptoms flare after you've been out in the sun or after a hard day at work. Even if you take medicine for lupus, you may find that there are times when the symptoms become worse. Remember everyone is different. Each person’s Lupus and Flare can react different from person to person.

What Causes Lupus?

We don't know what causes lupus. There is no cure, but in most cases lupus can be managed. Lupus sometimes seems to run in families, which suggests the disease may be hereditary. Having the genes isn't the whole story, though. The environment, sunlight, stress, and certain medicines may trigger symptoms in some people. Other people who have similar genetic backgrounds may not get signs or symptoms of the disease. Researchers are trying to find out why.

Who Gets Lupus?

Anyone can get lupus. But 9 out of 10 people who have it are women. African American women are three times more likely to get lupus than white women. It's also more common in Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and American Indian women.

Both African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos tend to develop lupus at a younger age and have more symptoms at diagnosis (including kidney problems).

They also tend to have more severe disease than whites. For example, African American patients have more seizures and strokes, while Hispanic/Latino patients have more heart problems. We don't understand why some people seem to have more problems with lupus than others.

Other Symptoms of Lupus:

•extreme fatigue (tiredness)
•headaches
•painful or swollen joints
•fever
•anemia (low numbers of red blood cells or hemoglobin, or low total blood volume)
•swelling (edema) in feet, legs, hands, and/or around eyes
•pain in chest on deep breathing (pleurisy)
•butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose
•sun- or light-sensitivity (photosensitivity)
•hair loss
•abnormal blood clotting
•fingers turning white and/or blue when cold (Raynaud’s phenomenon)
•mouth or nose ulcers
•depression
•anxiety
•memory loss
•heart problems
•weight loss
•swollen glands
•Inflammation
•Hair loss
•Arthritis
•Proteinuria
•Vision Problems
•Stroke
•Paralysis
•Seizures
•Hallucinations
•Paranoia
•Personality Changes
•Weakness
•Abdominal discomfort
•Poor circulation
•Miscarriages
•Enlarged Spleen
•Endocarditis
•Cardiovascular disease

And the List goes on and on.

I have Lupus and live with it everyday.

Sometimes we don’t look sick….sometimes we do. But just because you may not be able to see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

We fight it everyday. We are fighters. There is a chance someone you know and love could have it. Just remember they are fighting, we are all fighting. No wonder we’re so exhausted all the time.

Some fight to the death. I fear I will too. But of course…I won’t go without a fight.