Lupus is a chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disease that affects millions of people all over the world. The nature of an autoimmune disease implies the immune system is killing normal, healthy tissues in the body in addition to the viruses and bacteria it regularly fights off.

Signs of Lupus Much of what causes lupus is still unknown, but is likely a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, lupus is most often found in women between the ages of 15-44, but can occur in men, children and teens. While people of any race or ethnicity may develop lupus, it’s 2-3 times more common in women of color. The symptoms are quite wide-spread making a diagnosis of lupus challenging. The symptoms are experienced when sufferers have a flare-up. Frequency of flare-ups can range from sparingly to very frequent.

The Mayo Clinic defines some common areas and symptoms Lupus can affect:

Joints: Pain, stiffness and swelling
Skin: Rash on the face, skin lesions from sun exposure, mouth sores, hair loss (alopecia), fingers and toes strongly affected by cold or stress (Raynaud’s phenomenon) and easy bruising.
Kidneys: inflammation of the kidneys
Blood cells: Hardening of the arteries creating chest pains and increasing chances of heart attac
Respiratory system: Shortness of breath and increased blood pressure in the lungs
Nervous system: Anxiety, depression, memory loss, headaches, and confusion
Other symptoms: Fever, severe weight changes, dry eyes and fatigue

Types of Lupus There are 4 types of lupus and the symptoms are generally correlated with the specific type of lupus the sufferer has.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: The most common form of lupus that affects nearly all parts of the body, but can range from mild to severe.
Discoid (Cutaneous) Lupus Erythematosus: This form of lupus is limited to the skin and mouth. Rashes and lesions spread throughout your body with discoid lupus. The rashes are generally scaled, elevated and red, but they do not itch and are circular shaped. They may spread over the cheeks and bridge of yours nose creating what is known as a butterfly rash.
Drug-induced Lupus Erythematosus: Certain drugs have been found to react badly in certain patients and create lupus. These sufferers will experience similar symptoms to systematic lupus but with their body systems and organs undamaged. These drugs may include hydralazine, procainamide, and isoniazid. The symptoms usually disappear after medication is stopped for 6 months.
Neonatal Lupus: Neonatal lupus is an uncommon disease that affects infants of women who have lupus. Infants experience skin rashes, liver problems and low blood cell counts at birth that continue for several months and then disappear with no lasting damage. It is relatively uncommon and most women with lupus deliver healthy babies.

Living with Lupus The severity and frequency of flare-ups highly determines how easily lupus sufferers can live with the disease. It is most important to listen to your doctor, try to stay healthy and follow general precautions.

The autoimmune nature of lupus makes it essential that you try to stay away from any viruses or colds going around. Taking vitamins, eating healthy, washing your hands, getting enough sleep and maintaining good mental health can help your body stay in top shape and avoid getting sick and having a flare-up.

Exercising regularly is vital for keeping the body healthy. While this may be difficult due to the joint pain and fatigue that sometimes comes with lupus, there are a number of light, low-impact excises like yoga, walking and swimming that can be performed to keep the body healthy. For joint pain or to prevent injury, it’s important to have the right orthopedic braces and supports.

Lupus sufferers are affected by sun exposure and should try to stay away from the sun at the hottest hours (noon-3pm) and protect their skin with sunscreen or clothing when in the sun. Those with lupus should get immunizations and vaccinations seasonally and take care of and cuts that could be infected. Smoking increases the chance of flare-ups and should be avoided.

Having lupus is difficult, but with the right care, it is manageable. It’s important to stay positive, listen to your doctor and take care of your body. With the right care and medication, you can minimize the effects of lupus and live a normal life.

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The disease Lupus is classified as an autoimmune disease, and it can affect different parts of the body. In most people it affects the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain. In the case of a normal healthy body, the immune system produces proteins that are called antibodies. These antibodies serve to protect the body against infection, viruses, bacteria, and other foreign matter. The term for these foreign materials is antigens.

What happens when the body is affected with an autoimmune disorder like lupus is that the immune system becomes confused and cannot tell the difference between foreign material and its own cells and tissues. The immune system then begins to make antibodies and directs them against itself; these antibodies are called auto-antibodies. The auto-antibodies affect the body by causing inflammation, pain and damage in different parts of the body.

The primary feature of Lupus is usually considered to be inflammation. The term inflammation in Latin means “set on fire,” and is identified by pain, heat, redness, swelling and loss of function. This can occur on the inside or on the outside of the body, or in some cases or both.

There are considered to be four main types of lupus: discoid, systemic, drug-induced and neonatal lupus.

Discoid type lupus always affects the skin. It is characterized by a rash that appears on the face, neck, and scalp. Discoid lupus can be diagnosed by taking a biopsy of the rash and performing tests. The biopsy will show certain anomalies that are not present in skin without the rash. Discoid lupus usually will not involve problem with the body’s internal organs. In roughly 10 percent of people diagnosed with this disease, discoid lupus can evolve into a more severe problem, and can affect almost any organ or system of the body. It is impossible to predict or prevent this from happening. Unfortunately treatment of discoid lupus will not stop it from progressing to this stage. It is likely that individuals who experience this problem, probably had systemic lupus all along, and the discoid rash was the main symptom.

Systemic lupus is found to be more severe than the previously mentioned discoid lupus, because it affects almost any organ or organ system of the body. It differs from person to person; for some people only the skin and joints may be involved. For other people, the joints, lungs, kidneys, blood, or other organs and/or tissues could be affected. The problem with diagnosing systemic lupus is that, usually no two persons affected with systemic lupus will display identical symptoms. One of the most identifiable symptoms of systemic lupus is that the individual may experience periods in which few (or any) symptoms are evident which is called remission. Other times individuals will experience “flares” which is when the disease becomes more active.

Drug-induced lupus can occur after the use of certain prescribed medications. One of the tricky things about this form of lupus is that the symptoms are similar to those of systemic lupus. The two medications that are most connected with drug-induced lupus are hydralazine and procainamide. Drug induced lupus is generally more common in men because they are given these drugs more often. However, it should be noted that not everyone who takes these medications does or will develop this type of lupus. Roughly about 4 percent of the people who take these medications will develop this type of lupus. Also the symptoms will generally fade when the drugs are discontinued.

Neonatal lupus is a rare and serious condition that is acquired from the passage of maternal auto-antibodies. This particular type of lupus can affect the skin, heart and blood of the fetus and newborn child. The symptoms are associated with a rash that will appear during the first few weeks of life. This rash may continue for roughly six months before fading completely. Neonatal lupus is not classified as systemic lupus.

While there is no cure for lupus, depending on the severity of your disease, it is possible to live a full and normal life. There are natural products available to help with pain and provide dietary support to ailing immune systems. Lupazol by Micronutra, is a nutritional matrix designed to supplement what you don’t find in your daily diet, while providing support to your immune system! It is possible for you to feel your best all the time, even when you don’t think it is possible!

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