It is a mystery of bones.
Joint pain, hair loss and fatigue are clues that can point to several conditions. One in particular has people who throw bones for a race, since 16,000 new cases of the US are informed annually.
Lupus is sometimes called a cruel mystery, since patients may take many years to be accurate.
Chronic autoimmune disease is unpredictable already has subtle symptoms that are easily lost or attributed to other ailments. Meanwhile, inflammatory without control can cause permanent damage.
These are the symptoms that go unnoticed and possible treatments in process.
How is Lupus?
Our immune system defends our body against infections and diseases by identifying and destroying harmful substances. But sometimes our immune system is confused and accidentally attacks our own body. We call that autoimmunity: it can lead to inflammation.
The location of the autoimmune attack largely determines the type of autoimmune disease.
With lupus, it can have inflammation in the joints, under the skin and just in its organists, throwing a wide range of symptoms.
What causes lupus?
We do not know the exact cause of lupus, but several factors can play a role.
We know that there is a genetic predisposition to the disease and that autoimmune diseases can be grouped into families but manifest in different ways. Someone in the family could have psoriasis, while another person has thyroid disease and a third has lupus.
Family history is what we call the “first success.” There is a second blow that lights the disease and makes it happen in some people. For example, only about 40% or identical twins have lupus.
It can be something environmental, such as exposure to a virus. Sometimes it is exposure to the sun and UV rays that activate the immune system and light this autoimmune process. We are still trying to unravel that mystery.
About 90% of patients with Lupus are women, but we are not sure why. There is probable hormonal aspect. We know that patients tend to explode around their period or after pregnancy, when hormones change.
How is Lupus diagnosed?
There is not a single test that shows that someone has Lupus.
We begin with an anti -Nuclear antibody blood test (ANA) that shows autoimmune diseases.
Almost anyone with Lupus will have a positive result, but a positive result does not confirm a diagnosis of lupus.
Rheumatologists also look for proteins or blood in the urine, which can indicate renal problems, a common lupus complication and evaluate symptoms.
What are the symptoms of Lupus?
Patients may have some Lupus symptoms but not fulfill the complete criteria for diagnosis.
The most common is the pain of red, hot and swollen joints. There are also some typical lupus rashes.
The eruption of the butterfly crosses the cheeks and nose, while the eruption of discord is dark, circular and squamous. It can happen almost anywhere in the body.
The problem is that pain and pain in the joints can be attributed to lesions due to excessive or musculoskeletal use, and the eruption of the butterfly can be very similar to the rosacea, which causes redness and redness in the face.
Many of the symptoms are more vague and may not be only part of the classification criteria for lupus, such as fatigue, hair loss and Raynaud syndrome, when fingers or feet fingers change color in the cold. These symptoms can occur in patients who do not have lupus.
Having lupus should not significantly reduce life expectancy. But as patients live more, we are increasingly aware that we must pay attention to secondary problems such as heart disease, which may be more common in patients with LUPUS.
How is Lupus about?
There is no cure for lupus, but it has become an eminently treatable disease by controlling the hyperactive immune system and reducing inflammation.
A medication used by almost all our patients is hydroxycloroquine. It is relatively mild and without many side effects, we think that we observe problems such as long -term ocular toxicity.
For many patients, hydroxycloroquine is not enough. We have to strengthen ourselves with immunosuppressive medications, even when side effects include a greater risk of infections.
We are working on some really promising new therapies. Our research is to explore medications that are directed to the abnormal parts of the immune system in patients with Lupus instead of blanket immunosuppressants that disable the entire immune system. Directed therapies mean less side effects.
A couple of these medications have already approved the leg, and many more are in process.
Some small studies suggest that certain patients with Lupus can achieve remission and get out of medications without experienced clinical activity. This research is in your childhood, but we hope that one day we can finally say that we have been able to cure this disease.
How can shoots be prevented?
Lupus affects the daily lives of almost all patients. They can have a normal day without any symptoms, and things can change in a penny. The outbreak risk can be reduced by:
- Direct sunlight or apply broad spectrum protection with approximately 50 SPF because UV rays can activate the disease.
- Stay up to date with vaccines to reduce the probability of infections. Anything that ignites the immune system can also activate the autoimmune process.
- Eat an anti -inflammatory diet. We are learning much more about the way our tract interacts with our immune system, but it is too early to say what foods it avoids.
- Avoid emotional and physical stressors.
Recurrent flares in lupus can cause permanent damage to the organs and potential renal disease.
The good news is that an articular effort of patients, doctors and family can help keep symptoms at bay and, hopefully, put the disease in remission so that patients can live a complete and long life.
Dr. Amit Saxena is an associated professor in the Nyu Langone Health Rheumatology Division. He is also the director of the Rheumatology Clinical Research Program.
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