Summary:
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, aka Lupus, affects millions of people worldwide, most of them women. This autoimmune disease attacks multiple systems of the body. It is difficult to diagnose; however, it is highly treatable. Learn more about lupus here.

Details or Sample:
Definition:

The illness that we commonly refer to as lupus is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). SLE, or lupus, as it will be referred to throughout the remainder of this article, is a chronic inflammatory disease which affects various parts of the human body including the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. Some forms of the disease can also attack the heart and lungs.

SLE is the most common form of the disease - and the most serious. SLE frequently causes swelling and pain in the joints, skin rashes and extreme fatigue. It is an autoimmune disease which means that the body´s immune system attacks itself.

Symptoms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus:

Although different people have different experiences with lupus, there are some commonalities among lupus patients. These include:

— fatigue
— painful and swollen joints
— muscle pain
— inexplicable fever
— reddish, butterfly shaped skin rash on nose and cheeks (malar rash)
— chest pain upon breathing
— unusual hair loss
— swollen glands
— edema in the legs and around eyes
— photo-sensitivity
— sensitivity to cold (Raynaud´s Syndrome)

Other, less common symptoms include: anemia, headaches, dizziness, seizures, nausea, oral ulcers, lack of appetite, and serositis (inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart and lungs).

Causes/Triggers:
There is no direct cause of lupus. It seems that a variety of factors predispose a person to becoming ill with lupus, as with just about any other autoimmune illness. Lupus does tend to run in families. In fact, relatives of lupus patients are about 10% more likely to develop the condition themselves.

Environmental factors such as infections, the presence of other diseases, especially those of the autoimmune variety, the taking of prescription antibiotics (primarily sulfa and penicillin products), UV rays, extreme stress, certain drugs and hormones can also trigger lupus.

Risk Factors:

Women are more likely to develop lupus than men are, especially after puberty. However, men who have lupus do report the same symptoms as women. Those of American Indian, African, Asian and Hispanic descent are more likely to have lupus than Caucasians although the reasons behind this are unclear.

Diagnosing Lupus:

SLE is very difficult to diagnose as is any disease that affects multiple systems of the body. Another problem with diagnosing lupus is that its symptoms mimic those of many other diseases including Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and more. A physician will probably require a thorough medical history, analysis of routine laboratory tests and specialized tests related to the patient´s immune system in order to make a diagnosis.

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Written by: Deanna Couras Goodson
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