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The Most Common Lupus Question |
What's lupus?
Lupus is a long-lasting disease that attacks the auto immune
system. It becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue
...resulting in inflammation and brings about symptoms for
reasons are unknown,
What the heck does autoimmune mean?
it means immune activity that is directed against the self..... kind
of like self punishment
The immune system is confused and fights the body itself
reacting to the body's own tissues thus the Auto self In autoimmune diseases,
What is inflammation?
It like setting on fire. It is a protective process the body
goes through when tissues are injured. Inflammation helps to eliminate a foreign body or organism (virus, bacteria) and prevent further injury.
Indications of this are; swelling, redness, pain and warmth. If the signs of inflammation are long lasting, as they can be in lupus, then damage to the tissues can occur and normal function is impaired. This is why the treatment of lupus is aimed at reducing the inflammation.
What happens in autoimmune diseases like lupus?
The immune system is designed to protect the body from intruders like
bacteria and viruses.
Picture this as a security system for your body that contains different types of cells, some of which function like
"watch dogs " on patrol looking for invaders. When they spot one, they
(bark) take action, and deter the intruder.
With lupus, for some unknown reason, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between a foreign intruder and a person's own normal tissues and cells. So, in essence, the
"Watch Dogs" mistakenly identify the ( their master) person's own normal cells as foreign, and
(bark) take action to eliminate them.
Who gets lupus?
Lupus can occur at any age, and in either sex. However its most common
in women
(9 out 10 suffers are women and African American 3 times more
likly to get Lupus )
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) has developed a strategic plan for reducing health disparities. Lupus is included as an area of research focus. Further information on disparities in lupus and the strategic plan is available at:
http://www.niams.nih.gov/an/stratplan/stratplan.htm
What are the Lupus symptoms?
* Sore or swollen joints
* Constant fever over 100 degrees
* Extended periods of fatigue
* Skin rashes, that look like butterfly shaped rash on the cheeks and nose
* Chest Pain - deep breathing
* Anemia
* Sensitivity to sun or ultraviolet light
* Hair loss
* Blood clotting problems
* Fingers turning white and/or blue in the cold
* Seizures
* Mouth or nose ulcers lasting longer than two weeks
Are there different kinds of lupus?
There are four forms of lupus including:
Cutaneous lupus erythematosus affects the skin. There are many different types of cutaneous lupus including:
* Chronic cutaneous LE (CCLE) which is sometimes called discoid.
* Subacute cutaneous LE (SCLE), and
* Acute cutaneous LE (ACLE). |
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Thanks in advance for putting your trust in me:
Brian Therrien
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