Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a potentially life-threatening and chronic autoimmune disease that can affect different parts of the body. These can include the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain. The human body's immune system makes proteins called antibodies that protect the body against viruses, bacteria and other foreign materials. These foreign materials are called antigens. If you have an autoimmune disease such as lupus, your immune system actually attacks the healthy cells and tissues by mistake.
The results of current research estimates that there are approximately 2 million people who suffer from systemic lupus erythematosus in the United States and the largest number are females. The disease has the highest incidence in young women between 18 and 30 years of age.
Modern medicine, at the present time, has not been able to determine the real causes of systemic lupus erythematosus. It is believed, however, that there are many closely related factors that are used to determine the occurrence of the disease: genetic abnormalities, environmental factors and hormonal factors. Because the disease predominantly affects women, it is believed that estrogen is involved in the disease occurrence.
No two patients with lupus are identical. The signs and symptoms of lupus may occur rapidly or develop slowly. They may be either mild or severe and may be either temporary or permanent. Most people with lupus will experience episodes or "flares". This is simply where the signs and symptoms get worse or they can improve or even disappear completely for a period of time.
Systemic lupus erythematosus is known to affect various parts of the body and sometimes and permanent damage can result. Lupus causes dysfunctions or a hyperactive immune system that attacks both healthy blood cells and genetic material. When this happens, the immune system is no longer protecting the body from infectious agents and organisms but rather destroying it.
Systemic lupus erythematosus can affect the major organs of the body, including the heart and lungs, the digestive system or gastrointestinal tract, the renal system (kidneys), the nervous system and brain, the musculoskeletal system and the skin. People that suffer from systemic lupus erythematosus may also experience joint problems, heart disease, pulmonary disease or skin diseases. When you consider the numerous symptoms, people with systemic lupus erythematosus often require different medical treatments for each individual disorder.
Lupus can be very difficult to diagnose because the symptoms can vary from one patient to another. The various symptoms can make lupus look like other diseases. For example, some people with lupus may feel very weak and fatigued. They may complain of having muscle aches, appetite loss, glandular swelling and even hair loss. The can also experience the common gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Most patients with lupus will develop skin rashes and these rashes can be an important clue in the diagnosis.
There is not just one cause of lupus, but rather a combination of factors including genetics, environmental and hormonal that work together and cause the disease. Lupus is not contagious. No specific lupus gene has been identified, but it does run in families
The actual causes of lupus are not totally understood. It is believed that the disease is the result from a combination of genetics, environmental factors (ultraviolet light, stress, infections, certain drugs and chemicals) and hormonal. The exposure from the sun (ultraviolet light) is a known environmental problem that can cause rashes to get worse in lupus patients and sometimes trigger a flare of the entire disease process.
The chronic disposition of systemic lupus erythematosus determines the recurring pattern of its symptoms. The disease has a very unpredictable pattern, as the symptoms can alternate between stages of both remission and aggravation. Even if the disease is in an inactive stage, the patient must still have ongoing monitoring and physical examinations. Also, since treatments with any of the immunosuppressive medications have potential side effects, lupus patients are highly susceptible to infections and need to take precautions to prevent getting infectious diseases. With a compromised immune system, even a case of the common flu can cause more severe symptoms.
The current treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus is geared at helping to reduce the damage that has been caused by the dysfunctional immune system. The uses of immunosuppressive medications are very common in patient's treatment for lupus. Although these drugs can have pronounced side effects, the corticosteroids are frequently used in the treatment process.
Doctors do not really know or totally understand what causes autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, although a combination of genetics and environment are thought to have a major role. Doctors tend to believe that a person may inherit a predisposition to the disease, but not lupus itself, however, people that do have an genetic predisposition for lupus may only actually develop the disease if and when, they become exposed to an environmental issue that can trigger the actual development of lupus, such as a medication or a virus.
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