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The human immune system is delicate and can surprise us many times. Despite being a system totally geared to protect us, it can fail and causes us many disorders many times. Autoimmune diseases are not unknown, and they can cause some harm to us, ranging from simple spots on the skin such as vitiligo to more serious problems such as psoriasis, lupus and even multiple sclerosis.
Among these, perhaps lupus stands out as one of the best known and also feared. But what are the real consequences that this disease can bring us? What are its causes and symptoms?
What is Lupus?
Lupus is a chronic and autoimmune disease , that is, a disease that has no cure and that has its origins in the body itself. Despite having no known and evident cause, lupus appears much more in young women and in black or mixed-race people.
The disease is characterized by the excess production of antibodies by the body, causing these antibodies to end up resulting in a malfunction of the immune system, since this excess ends up being considered a danger by our organism, which attacks the antibodies themselves.
This can result in problems in different parts of the body , but most of the time they end up affecting the kidneys, joints, brain and skin of the person suffering from the disease.
Types of Lupus
There are three ways that the disease can manifest, they are:
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Drug-induced lupus
- Discoid Lupus
Let’s talk more deeply about each of these types and what are the main differences between them.
Systemic lupus erythematosus
This type of lupus usually causes infection of several organs in the body . The symptoms of this form of manifestation of the disease will depend on the organs that are being attacked, which can be the heart, the kidneys, the brain, the skin, the joints or some combination of these organs mentioned.
Drug-induced lupus
Some types of medication or even drugs can cause inflammation very similar to that caused by lupus. Although it is worrying, this type is simple and ends up being cured with the simple end of the use of the medicine that is causing the inflammation.
Discoid Lupus
This type of lupus causes inflammation in the skin only , and does not affect other organs. Still, there are cases where this type of disease can progress to systemic lupus erythematosus and reach other organs in the human body.
Main Causes of Lupus
Although we cannot evidence anything concrete that causes lupus, it is known that it is an autoimmune disease caused by genetic mutations. The cause of these mutations is that it is unknown and that is why it is said that there are not many ways to prevent the disease from manifesting itself.
These mutations usually occur while still in the mother’s womb and that is why it is common for some people to show signs of the disease as children. Even so, it is also possible to be born without this mutation and to develop throughout life, but the causes of this mutation are still very unknown to us.
Symptoms of Lupus
The symptoms of lupus can vary depending on the type of the disease and the severity of it. Still, we can indicate some as the main symptoms of the disease such as:
- Red spots on the face in the shape of butterfly wings
- Lack of air
- Small skin wounds
- Memory loss
- Concentration problems
- Very high fever
- Sensitivity to sunlight
- Fatigue
- Swelling
- Loss of hair
- Mouth sores
It is important to remember that it is not because someone has one or two of these symptoms that the person has developed lupus, but when they do appear it is important to see a doctor to make sure it is the disease or not.
How is Lupus Diagnosed?
Because it presents symptoms so different and that can vary from person to person, in addition to being confused with symptoms of possible other diseases, the diagnosis of lupus is not easy to be made .
A doctor may order a series of tests ranging from a complete blood count to a kidney biopsy, through radiographs and antibody tests to check for the existence or not of the disease.
Treatment For Lupus
The treatment for lupus can be done in different ways and needs to be constant, since there is no cure for lupus. The treatment is so that the person can live a common and peaceful life even with the disease , besides also relieving the symptoms. Some of the main forms of treatment of the disease are:
- Anti-inflammatory.
- Corticoid for skin lesions.
- Immunosuppressants.
- Medicines that block cell growth, those used only in more severe cases.
Although it seems to be something very difficult to face, there is treatment for lupus and a person can live well living with the disease. Of course, like any other disease, there are limitations and various precautions that need to be taken by these people, but nothing that prevents them from living a full life and also nothing that limits their daily activities too much.
Diseases like lupus can appear in all types of people, although there are risk groups and we need to be attentive to treat the disease as quickly as possible, so that the consequences that the disease brings are as small as possible.
See also: Hellp Syndrome – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
