What you need to know about lupus disease
From symptoms to the cure, here is what you need to know about this autoimmune disease.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease - a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks your body.
It can cause inflammation and pain in any part of your body.
It mostly attacks the skin, joints, and internal organs.
Let’s look at the most common symptoms of the disease.
Although lupus’ symptoms vary, here are the most common ones as stated by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Muscle and joint pain.
- Fever.
- Rashes.
- Chest pain.
- Hair loss.
- Sun or light sensitivity.
- Kidney problems.
- Mouth sores.
- Prolonged or extreme fatigue.
- Anemia.
- Memory problems.
- Blood clotting.
- Eye disease.
It is important to consult your doctor to help determine if the symptoms you're feeling could possibly be lupus.
Who is at risk?
Lupus.org reports that nine out of ten people who suffer with lupus are women.
The age group that is mostly at risk is between the age of 15 to 44.
People who have a family member with lupus or another autoimmune disease are also at risk.
Cure
Sadly, there is no cure for lupus. However, the good news is that there is treatment which can help improve the symptoms, prevent flare ups, and stop other health problems often caused by lupus.
Celebrities who suffer from lupus disease
Several celebrities have shared their struggle with the incurable disease.
Selena Gomez
In September 2017, Selena Gomez told her fans that she was not able to promote her music as she needed a kidney transplant due to lupus.
Toni Braxton
In an interview with Huffpost.com, Toni Braxton revealed how hard it is to live with the disease.
"Pretty much when you have lupus you feel like you have the flu every day. But some days you get through it. But for me, if I’m not feeling well, I tend to tell my kids, ‘Oh mommy’s just going to relax in bed today.’ I kind of take it easy,” she said in the interview.
Image courtesy of iStock/ @ Panuwat Dangsungnoen