Immune dysregulation, in the form of autoimmunity, is thought to be the prime cause of lupus. In patients with lupus, the body produces an accelerated inflammatory response, resulting in the production of autoantibodies (antibodies to one's self), causing immune complexes (antigens combined with antibodies) [3,16].
Causes of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus)
The cause of lupus is unknown, and researchers are still trying to learn what may trigger or lead to the disease. Doctors know that it is a complex autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the person's tissues and organs.
Sjogren's syndrome is a relatively common disease, although often under-diagnosed. Sjogren's syndrome can occur alone or in association with other autoimmune diseases, most commonly lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Gender: Even though anyone can get lupus, it most often affects women. They're nine to ten times more likely than men to develop it. Age: Lupus can occur at any age, but most are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s. Race: Lupus is two to three times more common in African-American women than in Caucasian women.
Common triggers include:
Being out in the sun or having close exposure to fluorescent or halogen light. Infection. Injury. Stopping your lupus medicines.
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.
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.
The majority of lupus cases that develop are referred to as sporadic, which means no known relative has the disease. Although lupus can develop in people with no family history of lupus, there are often other autoimmune diseases in some family members.
Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease
“There are people who have a milder form of an autoimmune disease who just don't meet the classification criteria for lupus. We call that undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD),” says Dr. Petri.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a systemic autoimmune disease, can cause chronic inflammation and damage in several tissues and organs [1]. Genetic susceptibility and environmental factors are both responsible for the pathogenesis of SLE [2, 3]. Vitamin D deficiency is one of such factors [4].
Lupus is not a hereditary condition. However, genetic factors play an important role in developing lupus, and certain inheritable genes may increase a person's risk of lupus. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.
Kidneys About one half of people with lupus experience kidney involvement, and the kidney has become the most extensively studied organ affected by lupus. Lungs About 50% of people with SLE will experience lung involvement during the course of their disease.
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.
Make It Easy for Others to Understand
Start by explaining that “lupus is a disease where the immune system makes a mistake,” says Dr. Petri. “Instead of fighting infection the way it should, the immune system starts to attack normal tissues in the body.”
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.
Stress may cause the same reactions that can occur in any person who does not have lupus. Stress can be associated with (precipitate or initiate) the first appearance of their lupus. Stress may be associated with a flare-up of their already existing disease.
Lupus can be hard to diagnose because it has many symptoms that are often mistaken for symptoms of other diseases. Many people have lupus for a while before they find out they have it.
Lupus is known as "the great imitator" because its symptoms mimic many other illnesses. Lupus symptoms can also be unclear, can come and go, and can change. On average, it takes nearly six years for people with lupus to be diagnosed, from the time they first notice their lupus symptoms.
Palliative (pronounced PAH-lee-uh-tiv) care is a health care approach that tends to the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of a person with an illness and the needs of his or her family. It can be offered to people at any age and at any point in an illness such as lupus.
Class 4, or diffuse lupus nephritis
Class 4 involves damage to more than half of the glomerulus. A person will have high blood pressure. They may require dialysis as kidney function begins to worsen.
Lupus flares can be mild to serious, and they do not follow a pattern. However, with treatment, many people with lupus can manage the disease. Anyone can get lupus, but women are more likely to get the disease than men are.
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.