Hey i am new to the forum. My friend has
lupus and i am kinda curious what lupus is
and how would someone get lupus.
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lewis
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Jun 2003 Posts: 48
lupus definition Posted: 08-01-03 21:40pm
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease
that can affect various parts of the body,
especially the skin, joints, blood, and
kidneys. The body's immune system normally
makes proteins called antibodies to
protect the body against viruses,
bacteria, and other foreign materials.
These foreign materials are called
antigens. In an autoimmune disorder such
as lupus, the immune system loses its
ability to tell the difference between
foreign substances (antigens) and its own
cells and tissues. The immune system then
makes antibodies directed against "self."
These antibodies, called
"auto-antibodies," react with the "self"
antigens to form immune complexes. The
immune complexes build up in the tissues
and can cause inflammation, injury to
tissues, and pain.
For most people, lupus is a mild disease
affecting only a few organs. For others,
it may cause serious and even
life-threatening problems. More than
16,000 Americans develop lupus each year.
It is estimated that 500,000 to 1.5
million Americans have been diagnosed with
lupus.
First off, those numbers in Lewis' post
are from 1994! The real numbers are
unknown! It is now theorized that there
are from 3-4 million with Lupus in the US.
Last year, through the LFA, I went to
their National Education Symposium in
Washington DC where we lobbied Senators
and Congressmen to create a bill that
would create a National Database for Lupus
Patients.
Also, there is no known cause for Lupus.
It, for now, seems to be a combination of
predisposition through genetics and an
unknown trigger in their environment.
As for the disease itself, no two people
with the disease will ever have the EXACT
same symptoms. One of the reasons why it
is hard to diagnose and treat.
Regards,
LadyBrannon
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weezy
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Aug 2003 Posts: 1 Location: central jersey
I also am curious Posted: 08-02-03 13:55pm
I have been feeling ridiculously tired all
the time, I have fever on and off, I have
these patchy spots that are raised and
hard on my legs once I hit the sun for the
first time, they are also crusty (like I
can scratch them off and they bleed) - my
back is so sore in the mornings that I cry
and ask my 13 year old son to pull me off
the bed. I pee all the time - and if I
have to hold it my back hurts so bad I can
barely move, - while I was in Florida 2
weeks ago, someone there said that the
spots on my legs remind them of a friend
who was diagnosed with Lupus, I am
worried, but I do not have health
insurance right now and don't know what to
do. I am a single mom, out of work,
looking to work again when school starts
and have no help from my kids dads, none
at all!!!! Please tell me some about
lupus and is there any trials or studies I
can get into!!! Thanks!!!!
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dgayala
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Posts: 3 Location: florida
Weezy Posted: 08-06-03 13:43pm
You pretty much summed up most of my
symptoms as well. In february of this
year I was diagnosed with mctd- mixed
connective tissue disease. This is a
combination of rheumatoid arthritis,
lupus, scleraderma, shojrens disease and
reynauds syndrome. There is medication
for this..Several actually. But you need
to have blood tests done to confirm a
diagnosis. Do you have any health clinic
in your area?I would start there.
