Contents
Lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease, unpredictable, devastating the entire body and affecting various organs. How to live with him?
- In Poland, 15 thousand people suffer from lupus. people a year, mostly women. If lupus occurs in men – the disease is usually more severe
- Lupus usually appears between the ages of 15 and 65. It is a chronic and incurable disease, difficult to diagnose
- Patients usually have a series of missed diagnoses. To confirm lupus they need to do lots of lab tests and – zazwyczaj – visit many specialists
- Living with lupus is always waiting for new relapses – it is not conducive to the mental health of the sick person. Support from family and friends is needed
- You can find more such stories on the Onet homepage.
Lupus: The diagnosis is not that simple
Anna has been unable to deal with changes on the body for 10 years, especially the skin of the face. She has red, burning lumps under the eyes and plaque spots on the scalp. In the initial phase of treatment, doctors diagnosed the disease as rosacea, prescribed it antibiotics and even steroids.
Two years ago, the red spots on the face got bigger – it worsened due to the stress after the death of the child. Doctors made another diagnosis – lupus.
Anna read about this disease and found out that it is incurable. The woman is in despair, she does not have the strength to continue visiting the doctors. He is afraid of more medical experiments. Serological tests before her. Anna’s joints and head started to ache. He is afraid of what will happen next.
What is Lupus?
What is this mysterious sounding disease? Well, with lupus, there is a sudden change in the immune system – the body, instead of fighting viruses or bacteria, produces antibodies against its own cells and tissue antigens. These antibodies, on the other hand, are involved in causing inflammation in the body.
The disease often takes the form of relapses and it is never possible to predict when symptoms will worsen. As reported in the report edited by Jakub Gierczyński et al. from 2013. Systemic lupus erythematosus: «12 patients diagnosed with lupus were consulted in specialist clinics. As part of primary specialist care, family doctors reported that 735 services were provided with this diagnosis. The number of hospitalized patients diagnosed with lupus in hospital wards was 6 patients ».
Fortunately for patients and our National Health Fund, the disease is not contagious, but there is an increased risk of lupus in the family. Its formation is favored by hormonal, environmental and genetic factors. It is also favored by UVB radiation, viruses, infections, medications or stimulants, especially cigarettes.
Lupus also likes to appear as a result of severe stress. The diagnosis of the disease is very difficult – the symptoms come and go, they resemble other diseases. To be sure – a series of laboratory tests should be performed.
Lupus – How Do You Know Your Disease?
People with lupus usually feel very tired, it can be debilitating and make it impossible to function on a daily basis.
– For the first time in my life, after returning from work, I fell asleep on the couch – says forty-year-old Magda. – It was a big surprise for the family because normally I am a titan of work. My mother-in-law, who has been interested in health for years, sent me for laboratory tests. The diagnosis was a shock for everyone – the woman concludes.
Lupus (including Anna’s) is associated with an elevated body temperature of unknown cause. Another symptom is persistent headaches and migraines that never go away. Joint and muscle pains appear, making everyday activities difficult.
There are skin changes, erythema, rashes on the body, the butterfly-shaped erythema on the face is characteristic. It covers the cheeks and nasal bone. It occurs in a large proportion of patients and is the only outwardly visible and relatively certain symptom of lupus.
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Patients suffer from photosensitivity, i.e. hypersensitivity to daylight or artificial light. Hair is falling out. In a large proportion of patients, hematological disorders (anemia, low white blood cell count) and hypertension develop quickly.
Lupus damages internal organs, and the patient’s life depends on the extent of the damage it does. The disease increases the incidence of neoplasms, in particular hyperplasia of the white blood cell system (lymphomas), cervical and lung cancer.
The psyche also suffers – the patient loses hope, cannot cope with expectations for further relapses, and side effects resulting from taking medications. Living with lupus is life with constant insecurity – so support from family and friends is essential.
Lupus – statistics
In Poland, lupus develops 15 thousand. per year, mostly women. If lupus occurs in men – the disease is usually more serious. Lupus usually appears between the ages of 15 and 65.
Patients should constantly use the care of a rheumatologist and – if necessary – other specialists: a dermatologist, nephrologist, neurologist, hematologist, which can be difficult in Polish conditions.
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The sick person should take steroids, antimalarials or immunosuppressants on a permanent basis, which obviously have a number of side effects, so living with them is not the easiest thing to do. You should also avoid the sun and tanning beds, and use sunscreen in the summer, even when you go outside for a while.
The next step is to avoid getting infected – they can stimulate relapses. The patient should absolutely avoid stimulants: cigarettes, coffee, and even stronger tea. A healthy diet and moderate exercise are important.
People with lupus have a life expectancy that is shorter than that of the general population. Lupus is a common cause of death due to the cardiovascular disease it causes.
Drug-induced lupus erythematosus
It is very similar to lupus erythematosus and is usually reversible. It appears as a result of taking medications in people suffering from a chronic disease. It usually clears up after drug discontinuation. Drug-induced lupus is mainly caused by drugs such as procainamide, isoniazid, hydralazine, quinidine and phenytoin.
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