What Is Lupus?Lupus is a autoimmune disease that leads to chronic inflammation. This occurs when the immune system attacks its own tissues, it causes inflammation, swelling pain and damage to various organs of the body. Inflammation can affect many different body systems including: joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. Lupus sometimes can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms mimic other diseases. The most distinctive sign of lupus is a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks. It does not occur in all cases of lupus but most.
Lupus is also a disease of flares (the symptoms worsen and you feel ill) and remissions (the symptoms improve and you feel better). Types of Lupus
SLE is more serious; it affects the skin and vital organs. That is when you typically see the raised, scaly, butterfly shaped rash across the nose and cheeks that can also leave scars if left untreated. SLE may also inflame and/or damage the connective tissue in the joints muscles, and skin, along with the lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain (which is rare). Lupus can also cause confusion, depression, seizures, and strokes. Blood vessels may also become damaged with SLE. This can cause sores to develop on the skin, especially the fingers. Some lupus patients get Raynaud’s syndrome, which is when the hands and/or feet turn white or a bluish color. The small blood vessel contracting is the result of this color. It prevents blood from circulating to the hands and feet, especially in response to cold. This can be painful and last only a few minutes. 3. Drug induced lupus 4. Neonatal Lupus Who is at Risk?
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Lupus TriggersResearch suggests that a combination of genetic, hormonal, environmental, and immune system factors may be the cause of lupus.
Other examples of known environmental triggers include:
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