Is lupus contagious?

Lupus is not contagious, you cannot even contact lupus through sexual contact.

 Is lupus a fatal disease?

Today with close follow up and treatment there is 80-90% of lupus patients can expect to live a normal life.  Lupus is not a fatal universal disease.  Lupus can have varying degrees and intensity to it, but there are people have mild cases, moderate cases and then some have severe cases of lupus.  The severe case’s tend to be difficult to treat and bring under control.  Lupus can be life threatening when the flare up is in a severe case.  The potential of this disease is such that some patients with lupus can and have died.  Today those living with lupus can expect to live a normal life.

People with lupus live for only ten years, because people often read that those who have lupus 80-90% tend to live more then ten years. 

Please understand that “10 years” does not represent the number of years one will live but the number of years involved in the study.  Studies have followed patients with lupus from the onset of lupus was diagnosed for a period of ten years.  When the research ended studies concluded that 80-90% of the people enrolled in the study were still alive.  Research did not look at the years during 11, 12, 15, and 20 etc.  There are many people who have been living with lupus 40 years.  Lupus is not fatal to all, the majority of the people with lupus today can live a normal life span. 

 When people die of lupus, what do they usually die of?