May Is Lupus Awareness Month. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune condition in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy, normal tissue, causing symptoms such as inflammation, swelling, pain, and damage to the heart, lungs, skin, kidneys, joint, and blood.
In a normal healthy individual, the immune system directs antibodies only against antigens like virus and bacteria and not against healthy tissues. However, in lupus, the antibodies attack both antigens as well as normal, healthy cells.
There are different forms of lupus. The most common is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE for short), commonly referred as just “lupus”. Other forms of lupus include subacute cutaneous lupus, drug-induced lupus, neonatal lupus, and discoid lupus.
Lupus is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are not unique. Common symptoms associated with this condition also occur in many other disorders. Lupus is incurable, but with treatment it can be controlled.
Symptoms
Usually, the symptoms of lupus and their severity vary from person to person. This is because of two reasons: first, different types of lupus cause different symptoms and, second, symptoms depend on the part of the body affected by the disease. For instance, the symptoms which appear when lupus affects the skin are different from the ones that happen when the kidney is affected. Precisely for this reason, lupus patients exhibit different symptoms at different times.
The most common symptoms of Lupus:
- Fever and fatigue
- Stiffness, swelling, and joint pain
- Red rashes on the face
- Shortness of breath
- Dry eyes
- Headaches
- Sun sensitivity
- Mouth ulcers
- Seizures
- Weight gain or loss
- Anemia
- Skin lesions
- Confusion
Conventional Treatment
Depending on the type of lupus you have, its severity, and your symptoms, your doctor will recommend the most appropriate treatment for you. As mentioned above, conventional treatments focus on containing the disease.
The most common medications used for controlling lupus
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs – NSAIDs are used for treating pain, fever, and swelling associated with lupus.
- Corticosteroids – These drugs are used for relieving inflammation caused by lupus.
- Antimalarial drugs – Hydroxychloroquine and other anti-malarial drugs are used for controlling the disease.
- Immune suppressants – Mycophenolate, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, and other immune suppressants are used in severe cases of lupus.
Complementary Therapies
Lupus patients may benefit from certain complementary therapies. Although these treatments are not expected to interact with your medications, you are recommended to consult your doctor before adopting them.
- DHEA – DHEA stands for Dehydroepiandrosterone. DHEA supplements may help you reduce the dosage of steroids you require for controlling lupus.
- Fish oil – Preliminary studies have indicated that fish oil supplements may be beneficial for lupus patients.
- Flaxseed – Flaxseed contain a substance that may help reduce inflammation, which is the most common symptom of lupus. In addition, some studies have suggested that flaxseed may be beneficial in cases where the kidneys are affected by lupus.
- Vitamin D – Vitamin D supplements, some studies suggest, may help reduce the symptoms associated with this condition.
