Lupus can also drastically change one's appearance. Patients can have hair loss, rashes and scarring, as well as medication side effects like weight gain, hair loss and stretch marks,” says Dr. Jolly, who has led a number of studies on body image in people with lupus.
Thick, scaly patch of skin (discoid lupus)
People who have discoid lupus develop these patches. Most patches appear on the face, scalp, or ears, but patches can develop elsewhere on the skin. Without prompt treatment, these patches tend to stay on the skin for a long time — sometimes for years.
Chronic cutaneous lupus (also called discoid lupus) causes round, disc-shaped sores, usually on the face and scalp. The sores can cause scars or changes in skin color. Subacute cutaneous lupus causes a red scaly rash or red ring-shaped sores. It usually happens on skin that gets sunlight, like the neck and arms.
A lupus rash can appear in the following ways: A scaly, butterfly-shaped rash that covers both your cheeks and the bridge of your nose, This rash will not leave any scarring in its wake, but you may notice some skin discoloration such as dark or light-colored areas. Red, ring-shaped lesions that do not itch or scar.
Lupus may attack the nervous system via antibodies that bind to nerve cells or the blood vessels that feed them, or by interrupting the blood flow to nerves. Conditions associated with or sometimes seen in lupus include cognitive dysfunction, fibromyalgia, headaches, organic brain syndrome, and CNS vasculitis.
For some people, living with and managing lupus can cause weight gain. Weight gain may also lead to worsening lupus symptoms and complications associated with obesity. Some potential causes of weight gain that relate to lupus may include: being a side effect of medications such as corticosteroids.
Build your diet around lots of fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains. For protein, stick to fish and poultry instead of red meat. Also make sure you get plenty of calcium for bone and joint health. If fluid retention or high blood pressure is a problem for you, reduce your salt intake.
Hair loss is common in people living with lupus. The autoimmune disease causes body-wide inflammation that attacks the joints and skin, including the scalp. This can result in hair loss (alopecia ). Lupus-related hair loss can occur slowly, causing hair to become noticeably thinner gradually.
The effects lupus may have in and around the eyes include: changes in the skin around the eyelids, dry eyes, inflammation of the white outer layer of the eyeball, blood vessel changes in the retina, and damage to nerves controlling eye movement and affecting vision.
No single test can tell if a person has lupus. But your doctor can find out if you have lupus in other ways, including: Medical history. Tell your doctor about your symptoms and other problems.
Often, people with lupus experience weight loss or gain due to loss of appetite, unhealthy dietary habits, or decreased energy and mobility. If you experience weight loss or loss of appetite, talk to your doctor.
As a result, people with lupus are frequently misdiagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, skin disorders, psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression or receive no answers at all.
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.
Periorbital and facial swelling occurs in dermatomyositis and systemic lupus, but it has been rarely reported as a manifestation of exclusively cutaneous lupus.
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.
In this type of cutaneous lupus, the skin lesions are round (disk-shaped), thick, scaly and red. You may experience symptoms including pain, itching and burning. In some cases, you may not experience any symptoms. Most often, symptoms will develop on your face, ears or scalp.
Tooth decay was present in 100% of people with active lupus disease and 85% of people with inactive lupus – possibly due to reduced salivary flow or dry mouth, a common development of lupus. People with lupus exhibit more tooth loss than healthy population.
Lupus can slow the digestive process, and this can cause a wide variety of GI issues. Digestive problems may be the direct result of an attack by the immune system or from medications to treat lupus. These digestive difficulties include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation.
One person with lupus may experience malar rashes, kidney involvement, and memory loss, while another can have seizures, pleurisy, or hair loss. Though any of these symptoms could be a manifestation of lupus, they also could signal another, problem.
If you have active discoid lesions on your scalp, or you are suffering from hair loss as a result of lupus, I would be cautious about using hair dyes. Chemicals in the dye can act as irritants, (although nothing has been proven to link them with lupus), further damaging your hair follicles.
Many people with lupus have skin problems, like rashes or sores on the scalp, that can cause hair loss. Hair loss and thinning hair can also be side effects of certain medicines used to treat lupus, like steroids and immunosuppressives.
Jobs that require outdoor work or prolonged exposure to sunlight, such as farming, landscaping, or lifeguarding, may not be ideal for people with lupus. Jobs with exposure to chemicals: Some people with lupus may have sensitivities to certain chemicals or toxins, which can exacerbate their symptoms or trigger flares.