What is lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease.  This means that the immune system is attacking the body itself instead of a virus or infection.  When this happens, a person with lupus can experience inflammation and cell and tissue damage.  While lupus can affect any part of the body, it commonly affects the skin, joints, kidney, lungs, heart, and liver.

Types of lupus.

There are four types of lupus:  systemic lupus erythematosus, discoid lupus, drug induced lupus, and neonatal lupus.

In systemic lupus erythematosus, often called “SLE”, the inflammation that occurs due to autoimmune response affects the body’s joints and organs, while with discoid lupus, the inflammation only effects the skin.

Drug induced lupus is when a person has lupus like symptoms in response to a certain drug or medication.  It is generally found that once the medication is determined and discontinued, the symptoms go away.

Neonatal lupus isn’t considered to be SLE.  Neonatal lupus occurs when maternal auto antibodies pass on to the fetus.  Most often newborns with neonatal lupus will have a rash.  Sometimes there is heart and liver involvement. 

What are the symptoms of lupus?

The symptoms of lupus vary from person to person.  The symptoms can range from hardly noticeable to very severe.  Following are the most common symptoms of lupus, listed from most common to least common:

Achy joints
Persistent fever of more than 100 degrees
Swollen joints/arthritis
Tiredness/Fatigue that last for long periods
Skin Rashes
Anemia
Kidney problems
Chest pain upon deep breathing
Malar rash/butterfly shaped rash across the face
Photosensitivity/sensitive to light or sun
Hair loss
Abnormal blood clotting
Raynaud’s phenomenon/extreme reaction of fingertips upon cold or heat (usually turning blue or white)
Seizures
Mouth or nose ulcers

Prognosis

Most people with lupus, particularly discoid lupus, have a normal life span.  The five year survival rate for people with SLE is about 97% and the ten year life span is 90%.  The prognosis varies as much as the symptoms.  It depends on treatment factors, genetics, and the organs involved.  Generally when death does occur due to lupus, it is caused by kidney disease, infections, central nervous system lupus, blood clots, or heart complications. Mild lupus has been known to go away spontaneously, and serious lupus usually does not slow down without treatment.