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Systemic
Lupus Erythematosus or SLE is
a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and tissue damage to
virtually every organ system in the body. There are several forms of lupus, it's important to understand the
immune system.
The
immune system is a combination of white blood cells, and the chemicals they
secrete, called antibodies. In people with lupus, the immune system loses its
ability to distinguish between foreign substances, called antigens, and the
body’s own cells and tissue.
The immune
system then makes proteins, called antibodies, that are directed against “self”
which causes inflammation. The body recognizes foreign cells or organisms, such
a viruses and bacteria. It fights them using both white blood cells and
antibodies which leads to damage of various body tissues.
Lupus can affect many parts
of the body, including the skin, joints, blood and blood vessels, heart, lungs,
kidneys and brain. The health effects of lupus range from mild to
life-threatening and the disease vacillates between periods of increased
activity, called flares, and periods of remission.
Types
Of Lupus
There are
several kinds of lupus: discoid, systemic, drug-induced, neonatal and overlap syndrome
or mixed connective tissue disease.
* Discoid
(Cutaneous) Lupus Erythematosus mainly affects the skin. A red,
raised rash may appear on the face, scalp, or elsewhere.
*
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, or (SLE),
affect any system or
organ in the body including the joints, skin, lungs, heart, blood, kidney, or
nervous system. Symptoms of SLE can range from being a minor inconvenience to
very serious and even life threatening. A person may experience no pain or
extreme pain, especially in the joints. There may be no skin manifestations
or rashes that are disfiguring. They may have no organ involvement or extreme
organ damage. Most often when people mention "lupus," they are referring to
the systemic form of the disease. Approximately 70% of
lupus cases are systemic.
* Drug-induced
lupus, or (DILE) is a side effect of long term use of certain medications. It causes some
symptoms similar to those of lupus that go away when the drug is no longer
taken.
*
Neonatal lupus is a
rare condition acquired from the passage of maternal autoantibodies,
specifically anti-Ro/SSA or anti-La/SSB, which can affect the skin, heart and
blood of the fetus and newborn. It is associated with a rash that appears within
the first several weeks of life and may persist for about six months before
disappearing. Congenital heart block is much less common than the skin rash.
Neonatal lupus is not SLE
At
present, there is no cure for lupus. However the symptoms of lupus can be
controlled with appropriate treatment, and most people with the disease can
lead active, healthy life.
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