Lupus
This chronic inflammatory disease occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own organs and tissues. Lupus is more common in women, blacks, Hispanics and Asians and often is diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40. There are four varieties of lupus, and no two cases are alike. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, weight loss or weight gain, joint pain, a butterfly-shaped rash over the cheeks and bridge of the nose, mouth sores, skin lesions, chest pains, anxiety and easy bruising. Symptoms tend to flare up for a while, then ebb or disappear before another flare-up occurs. People with lupus are vulnerable to infection because the disease affects the immune system. They also often experience kidney damage. Treatment depends on individual symptoms.
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- Q What is lupus?
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, CardiologyLupus is an autoimmune disease that produces symptoms throughout the body. Autoimmune diseases develop when the body's natural immune system charged with fighting off invaders such as viruses and bacteria mistakes healthy tissue as foreign and mounts an... Full Answer
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- Q How is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosed?
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Doctors often rely heavily on a physical exam to diagnose systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE. Blood tests can confirm the presence of the disease. These tests may measure antibody levels, white or red blood cell counts, or platelet counts. A urinalysis... Full Answer
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- Q What are the symptoms of lupus nephritis?
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While some people may have few and subtle symptoms or none at all in the early stages of the disease, the main symptoms of lupus nephritis are: • High blood pressure• Dark urine• Flu-like symptoms• Joint... Full Answer
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- Q What kind of diet should I eat while taking steroids for lupus?
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It is especially important to eat a healthy diet if you are taking steroids for lupus. While taking steroids, your cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels may increase. For these reasons, it is absolutely essential that you not increase your... Full Answer
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- Q How is lupus nephritis diagnosed?
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There are several tests used to diagnose lupus nephritis, including: • Urinalysis will show blood, protein or both in the urine• Blood tests will show if the kidneys' filtering capacity has decreased • Blood tests can also... Full Answer
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- Q What is lupus nephritis?
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Lupus nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease in which a misfiring immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own organs. SLE can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, heart and... Full Answer
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- Q What is borderline lupus?
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Borderline lupus probably refers to the diagnosis being made at an early stage of the disease. Your physician is the best person to explain what borderline lupus means in relation to you and your symptoms. Full Answer
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- Q What is the test for lupus?
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, CardiologyAlthough there is no single test to confirm a diagnosis, a combination of many blood tests and biopsy of affected tissue can point to lupus. Steroids are the mainstay of treatments, but there are other effective strategies depending on where in the body... Full Answer
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- Q Does lupus affect the skin?
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A person with lupus will most likely experience some skin problems. Skin conditions comprise four of the 11 criteria that the American College of Rheumatology uses to classify lupus. There are several major types of skin disease specific to lupus as well... Full Answer
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- Q How does lupus affect the nervous system?
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In a person with lupus, the immune system attacks the body's own tissues, causing a variety of inflammation throughout the body. Lupus can affect both the central nervous system, which is the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system,... Full Answer
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