Lupus UK has support, advice and information for people with the condition. Lupus is an autoimmune disease. This means the body's natural defence system immune system attacks healthy parts of your body.
More women than men get lupus, and it's more common in black and Asian women. See a doctor before trying to get pregnant to discuss the risks and so your medicine can be changed if necessary. Page last reviewed: 23 September Next review due: 23 September Non-urgent advice: See a GP if you often get:. Symptoms include headaches, dizziness, depression , memory disturbances, vision problems, seizures, stroke , or changes in behavior.
Blood vessels : Vasculitis, or inflammation of the blood vessels, can occur. This can affect circulation. Blood : Lupus can cause anemia, leukopenia a decreased number of white blood cells or thrombocytopenia a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood, which assist in clotting. Heart : If inflammation affects the heart, it can result in myocarditis and endocarditis.
It can also affect the membrane that surrounds the heart, causing pericarditis. Chest pain or other symptoms may result. Endocarditis can damage the heart valves, causing the valve surface to thicken and develop. This can result in growths that can lead to heart murmurs. Infection : Infection becomes more likely because both lupus and its treatments weaken the immune system. Common infections include urinary tract infections , respiratory infections, yeast infections, salmonella, herpes , and shingles.
Bone tissue death : This occurs when there is low blood supply to a bone. Tiny breaks can develop in the bone. Eventually, the bone may collapse. It most commonly affects the hip joint.
Pregnancy complications : Women with lupus have a higher risk of pregnancy loss, preterm birth, and preeclampsia , a condition that includes high blood pressure. To reduce the risk of these complications, doctors often recommend delaying pregnancy until lupus has been under control for at least 6 months. The American College of Rheumatology use a standard classification scheme to confirm a diagnosis. On the other hand, some blood tests can lead to overdiagnosis, because people without lupus can have the same antibodies as those with the condition.
Diagnosis can be difficult because of the varied symptoms that may resemble symptoms of other illnesses. The doctor will ask about symptoms, carry out a physical examination, and take a personal and family medical history. They will also consider the 11 criteria mentioned above. Biomarkers are antibodies, proteins, genetic, and other factors that can show a doctor what is happening in the body or how the body is responding to treatment. They are useful because they can indicate if a person has a condition even when there are no symptoms.
Lupus affects individuals in different ways. This makes it difficult to find reliable biomarkers. However, a combination of blood tests and other investigations can help a doctor to confirm a diagnosis. Blood tests can show whether certain biomarkers are present, and biomarkers can give information about which autoimmune disease, if any, a person has.
Around 95 percent of people with lupus will have a positive result in the ANA test. However, some people test positive for ANA, but they do not have lupus. Other tests must confirm the diagnosis. Antiphospholipid antibodies APLs are a type of antibody directed against phospholipids. APLs are present in up to 50 percent of people with lupus. People without lupus can also have APLs.
A person with APLs may have a higher risk of blood clots, stroke, and pulmonary hypertension. There is also a higher risk of pregnancy complications, including a loss of pregnancy. Around 70 percent of people with lupus have an antibody known as the anti-DNA antibody.
The result is more likely to be positive during a flare-up. Fewer than 1 percent of people without lupus have this antibody.
If the test is positive, it may mean that a person has a more serious form of lupus, such as lupus nephritis, or kidney lupus. Around 20 percent of people with lupus have an antibody to Sm, a ribonucleoprotein that is present in the nucleus of a cell. It is present in fewer than 1 percent of people without lupus, and it is rare in those with other rheumatic diseases.
For this reason, a person with anti-sm antibodies is likely to have lupus. It is not usually present with kidney lupus. Around 25 percent of people with lupus have anti-U1RNP antibodies, and fewer than 1 percent of people without lupus have them.
They are present in small amount in about 15 percent of people without lupus, and they can occur with other rheumatic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. If a mother has anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies, there is a higher chance that a baby born to her will have neonatal lupus.
In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Elsevier; Accessed Nov. Systemic lupus erythematosus lupus. Goldman L, et al. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Wallace DJ, et al. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus in adults. Wallace DJ. Overview of the management and prognosis of systemic lupus erythematosus in adults. Dorner T, et al. Novel paradigms in systemic lupus erythematosus. Calcium fact sheet for professionals. Office of Dietary Supplements.
Fangtham M, et al. There are several different kinds of lupus, each with slightly different triggers and symptoms. The majority of people with lupus experience some type of skin issue during the course of their disease. Skin involvement and symptoms can vary depending on the type of lupus you have and how active your lupus is. One of the telltale signs of lupus is developing a rash on the face.
The rash is commonly called butterfly rash and usually appears on the face, but it can also show up on your arms, legs, or elsewhere on the body. Lupus also causes your skin to be more sensitive to the sun or artificial ultraviolet light.
Unprotected sun exposure can cause ring-shaped marks that can become red and scaly. These can form on your scalp and face, or other areas that get sun exposure, like your neck or arms. Ulcers or sores can form in your mouth on the cheek or gums.
They can also form on your nose, scalp, or vaginal tissue. These sores may not hurt at all or they might feel like a canker sore. It causes your mouth and eyes to feel very dry. You might experience trouble speaking or swallowing, or have itchy, burning eyes. Dry mouth can also put you at a higher risk of getting cavities, because saliva helps protect your teeth from bacteria.
Some people with lupus may experience alopecia, or hair loss. Lupus can cause hair to be dry or more brittle. Hair may break or fall out, particularly at the front of the forehead. The hair may grow back, or you may have permanent bald spots. The pancreas is a gland behind the stomach that controls digestion enzymes and hormones that regulate how your body processes sugar.
Lupus can cause inflammation of the pancreas, called pancreatitis, either from inflamed blood vessels or medications, like steroids or immunosuppressants used to treat the disease. Having lupus can affect your heart and blood vessels. People with systemic lupus erythematosus SLE have a higher risk of developing heart disease. In fact, heart disease is one of the most common causes of death in people with lupus.
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