Fast Facts About:
WHAT IS LUPUS?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which one’s immune system
sees its own body as a foreign invader and attacks it. It can affect several
different systems of the body.
LUPUS IS THREE TIMES MORE COMMON IN BLACK WOMEN THAN WHITE WOMEN.
But
the disease can affect everyone. Most
lupus patients are young women, with about 90 percent between the ages of
fifteen and forty-five. No one knows the reason why. Systemic
lupus erythematosus occurs everywhere in the world, in the United States,
England, the Caribbean. Native
Americans get lupus about twice as often as whites. There is no good
explanation for these occurrences.
LUPUS IS A CHRONIC DISEASE: It
is ongoing.
HOW IS LUPUS DIAGNOSED?
A diagnosis of lupus is based on a patient’s symptoms.
Blood tests confirm the diagnosis. Fifteen to twenty percent of all cases of
lupus result in death, mostly from kidney diseases, infections, and
cardiovascular diseases.
WHAT TRIGGERS LUPUS
FLARES?
Intense sun exposure can trigger lupus flares.
Sensitivity to the sun occurs in about one of every three lupus patients.
Infections can also trigger flares, as
can exhaustion and emotional stress. Lupus patients must take care to protect
themselves and treat any signs of' infection or illness as soon as possible.
MOST
LUPUS PATIENTS CAN LIVE NORMAL LIVES?
CAN LUPUS BE INHERITED?
Once one family member has been diagnosed, the risk that a
second member of a family will develop lupus is very low, probably less than
one percent.
DOES TAKING HORMONES
AFFECT LUPUS?
Nobody is quite sure whether taking hormones is good or bad for
lupus patients.
HOW IS LUPUS CONTROLLED?
Many people need no treatment at all. The more you know
about the disease, the better you can help your doctor with the treatment.
There are many weapons in the doctor’s arsenal. The
physician will need to tailor the treatment of lupus to the specific needs of
each patient.
Fast Facts
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