The most common way that lupus can affect your lungs is through inflammation of the pleura, the lining that covers the outside of the lungs. The symptom of pleuritis that you may experience is severe, often sharp, stabbing pain in a specific area or areas of your chest.
Lung involvement in lupus
The most frequent lung problem that affects people with lupus is pleuritis, also known as pleurisy. In this condition, the pleura—a membrane that covers the exterior of the lungs and the interior of the chest cavity—becomes inflamed.
Kidneys About one half of people with lupus experience kidney involvement, and the kidney has become the most extensively studied organ affected by lupus.
One common lung problem in people with lupus is pleuritis, or inflammation of the tissue that covers the lungs. These inflamed lung surfaces can rub against each other when you breathe, causing chest pain. Pleuritis can also cause shortness of breath.
It can affect your joints, tendons, kidneys, and skin. It can affect blood vessels. And it can affect organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain. It can cause rashes, fatigue, pain, and fever.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most common and most serious type of lupus. SLE affects all parts of the body.
With close follow-up and treatment, 80-90% of people with lupus can expect to live a normal life span. It is true that medical science has not yet developed a method for curing lupus, and some people do die from the disease. However, for the majority of people living with the disease today, it will not be fatal.
The mainstay treatment of pleurisy in SLE has traditionally been non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with some patients requiring corticosteroids (38). Rarely, other steroid-sparing agents such as azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclosporine, and cyclophosphamide may be indicated (37).
There is no way to know if a flare will be mild or serious. Mild or moderate flares may cause only a rash or more joint pain. But severe flares can damage organs in the body, including fluid buildup around your heart and kidney disease. Call your doctor if you get the warning signs of a flare.
You may experience pain and stiffness, with or without swelling. This affects most people with lupus. Common areas for muscle pain and swelling include the neck, thighs, shoulders, and upper arms. Fever.
People with lupus should avoid jobs that involve strenuous physical labor such as construction, factory work, and heavy lifting. Additionally, jobs that involve working long hours, exposure to extreme temperatures, or working with dangerous chemicals should be avoided.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with a wide range of clinical presentations resulting from its effect on multiple organ systems. There are four main types of lupus: neonatal, discoid, drug-induced, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the type that affects the majority of patients.
Imaging tests
If your doctor suspects that lupus is affecting your lungs or heart, he or she may suggest: Chest X-ray. An image of your chest may reveal abnormal shadows that suggest fluid or inflammation in your lungs. Echocardiogram.
Shrinking lung syndrome is a rare complication of systemic autoimmune disease, most commonly SLE. This condition presents with exertional dyspnoea with or without pleuritic chest pain. It is rare, affecting approximately 1% of patients with SLE, and can occur at any point in the disease.
Lupus flare-ups can be triggered by stress, infection, or missed doses of medication. To prevent a lupus flare, focus on your medication schedule, self-care, and sun protection. Hydroxychloroquine is the best medication to help prevent lupus flares.
Exposure to certain factors in the environment – such as viral infections, sunlight, certain medications, and smoking – may trigger lupus. Immune and Inflammatory Influences.
Lupus is a lifelong disease that can affect many parts of your life. But, many women with lupus live long, healthy lives. You can take steps to control your symptoms, prevent lupus flares, and cope with the challenges of lupus.
Lupus is a chronic disease with no cure.
This means that you can manage it with treatment, but it will not go away. Treatment can help improve your symptoms, prevent flares, and prevent other health problems often caused by lupus. Your treatment will depend on your symptoms and needs.
SLE can affect any part of the respiratory tract, with various degrees of severity and at any phase of the disease course. Respiratory manifestations may display acute and/or chronic course and since most respiratory signs and symptoms are non-specific, differential diagnosis is often challenging.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), lupus does qualify as a disability if all conditions are met. Your lupus must affect two or more organs or body systems with severe symptoms in at least one.
With age, symptom activity with lupus often declines, but symptoms you already have may grow more severe. The accumulation of damage over years may result in the need for joint replacements or other treatments.
Lupus nephritis tends to develop within 5 years of the appearance of initial lupus symptoms. The condition affects about 40% of people who have SLE and can lead to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in 22% of patients over a period of 15 years.