So, what is Lupus?

 

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can target your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs. The great majority of people affected are women. For reasons that aren’t clear, lupus develops when the immune system attacks your body’s own tissues and organs.

 

Three main types of lupus exist — systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), discoid lupus erythematosus and drug-induced lupus.

 

Of these, SLE is the most common and serious form of the disease, frequently causing swollen, painful joints, skin rash, extreme fatigue and kidney damage.

 

The outlook for people with lupus was once grim, but diagnosis and treatment of lupus has improved considerably. With proper care, most people with lupus can lead relatively normal, active lives.

 

No two cases of lupus are exactly alike. Signs and symptoms may come on suddenly or develop slowly.  Symptoms may be mild or severe, and they may be temporary or permanent.

 

Lupus is the Latin word for wolf.  It's said the disease got its name because doctors once thought the common,  distinctive lupus rash resembled a wolf bite, but this doesn’t occur in every case.  

 

Many people refer to this malar rash as the butterfly rash.  It commonly  occurs on the tops of the cheeks and across the bridge of the nose. The butterfly shape is very distinctive, and is an indication of lupus - hence the butterfly often being a symbol for lupus patients and organizations.

 

Most people with lupus have one thing in common, however, and that’s the tendency of the disease to get decidedly worse in episodes called flares and then to improve or even disappear completely for a time.

 

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that instead of just attacking foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses, the immune system also turns against healthy tissue. This leads to inflammation and damage to various parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain.

 

Some Lupus Facts:

 

Lupus can range from mild to life-threatening and should always be treated by a doctor. With good medical care, most people with lupus can lead a full life.

 
Lupus is not contagious, not even through sexual contact. You cannot "catch" lupus from someone or "give" lupus to someone.

 
Lupus is not like or related to cancer. Cancer is a condition of malignant, abnormal tissues that grow rapidly and spread into surrounding tissues. Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue.

Lupus is not like, or related to HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). In HIV or AIDS the immune system is under-active; in lupus, the immune system is overactive.

 
The Lupus Foundation of America's research estimates that at least 1.5 million Americans have lupus. The actual number may be higher; however, there have been no large-scale studies to show the actual number of people in the U.S. living with lupus.

 
It is believed that 5 million people throughout the world have a form of lupus - this seems to be a very conservative figure.  If roughly 0.5 percent of the American population has lupus, the worldwide percentage therefore equates to a minor 0.07 percent of population.  Considering the billions of others living elsewhere, and in countries with less advanced medical research and treatment, this estimate seems to be an understatement.  But who's counting?  Lupus is difficult enough to diagnose in even the more advanced countries.     

 
Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age (15-44). However, men, children, and younger teenagers develop lupus, too.

 
Women of color are 2-3 times more likely to develop lupus.  Lupus also affects many of Asian origin.  People of all races and ethnic groups can develop lupus.  More than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported annually across the United States.

 

Someone YOU know has Lupus!

 

Like the disease itself, lupus can be mysterious and misunderstood, so too can the lupus patient. Being supportive of your loved one or friend that has lupus is important, and understanding them is very important.

 

Aside from the effects of the disease itself, the lupus patient will be effected by the medications that they have to take. Understand that just because they don’t look sick, they are. If they say they do not feel well, understand that they truly do not feel well and be supportive of them.

 

If you have a friend or loved one that has lupus, show them that you care by listening to them and understanding them. Join a support group in your area and attend the meetings with them.  Learn as much as you can about lupus on websites like this or via our links.

 

Get involved and become a lupus advocate.  Lupus receives less funding  given to other groups with less affected numbers of patients. Remember, the noisy wheel gets the oil!