Atypical symptoms and there is no cure

What does it mean? An attack of the immune system on the body’s own cells. The cause of most of these conditions is unknown. Therefore, treatment is primarily symptomatic. – Unfortunately, these symptoms affect many organs, so patients need the care of many specialists. We still have a problem with this in Poland, says Monika Zientek from the National Association of Young People with Inflammatory Connective Tissue Diseases “Let’s stick together”.

Statistically, the greatest risk of developing lupus is between the ages of 16-55. However, the truth is that this disease can catch us at any age. Probably out of 10 people, 50 will develop lupus, or every two hundred. Women suffer from lupus much more often than men, but in men the disease is much more severe.

Although lupus is a rheumatic disease, its symptoms appear on the face, for example, in 80 percent of patients. It is a characteristic erythema resembling a butterfly. Unfortunately, it sometimes leaves permanent scars on the face. A visible symptom of the disease is also erosions in the mouth, which recur. Lupus is often relapsing, i.e. with a periodic worsening of symptoms. Fortunately, treatment not only alleviates the course of the disease, but also remits it.

Unfortunately, lupus is not limited to external symptoms. It wreaks havoc inside the body. It most often attacks the musculoskeletal system, skin, kidneys, heart, nervous system, lungs and hematopoietic system. In most patients, the first lesions affect joints or muscles. There are severe pains. Kidney changes are found in many patients. The course of the disease is then more severe. Common symptoms include weakness, chronic fatigue, fever for no reason, enlarged lymph nodes, spleen, hypersensitivity to sunlight, migraines, rhinitis, hypertension, and anemia. If not treated properly, lupus damages the kidneys, causes changes in the blood picture, and causes inflammation of the pericardium and pleura. Therefore, lupus patients should not only be under the care of a rheumatologist, but also a cardiologist, pulmonologist and internist.

It happens that lupus causes anxiety attacks, seizures and psychosis. Therefore, it may be misdiagnosed. It happens that psychiatrists diagnose it as the onset of schizophrenia or generalized anxiety states. Of course, a properly diagnosed disease often causes depression, because the awareness that we suffer from an incurable disease that affects many organs is very burdensome for the psyche.

Changes in the face and mouth are the first signs that a patient may be suffering from lupus, but they do not predict the diagnosis. The patient must be referred for further tests. Among them, the most important are the chest X-ray, which will show any changes in the lungs, and the ECG, which is to exclude or confirm pericarditis. The basis of diagnostics is also blood and urine tests.

There are times when patients worry that they may have lupus, although this is not true. Some medications cause symptoms similar to those of the disease. We are then talking about the so-called drug-induced lupus, and its symptoms are joint pain, fever and increased pressure.

Lupus is treated symptomatically. Among the most commonly used drugs are those with immunosuppressive activity, which are designed to weaken the autoimmune effect of the immune system. These are preparations that are taken, for example, by patients after organ transplants. Unfortunately, Polish patients still do not have access to all treatment methods used in the world.

The number of patients in Poland is unknown because patients are not registered. Probably a similar number of people struggle with lupus as in the countries of Northern Europe, i.e. approx. 20 thousand. sick. Only 10-20 percent of lupus cases start in childhood, but it usually means much greater complications. Unfortunately, lupus patients are much more likely to suffer from cancers of the immune system – lymphomas, lung cancer and cervical cancer.

Not only drugs can slow down the progression of the disease. Its symptoms are also alleviated by the presence of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. Therefore, patients should eat sea fish and nuts as often as possible. Polish patients can find out about how to live with this chronic disease by contacting “Lupus Poland”. This is a group that has been operating for a short time, and its goal is to educate, mentally support patients, as well as fight for access to the best methods of treatment. More information about the group’s operation can be obtained by writing an email to its co-creator – Ms. Monika Zientek, to the following address: [email protected]