Lupus
Introduction
If you have lupus, you probably have many questions.
Lupus isn't a simple disease with an easy answer. You can't take a pill and make it go away. The
people you live with and work with may have trouble understanding that you're
sick. Lupus doesn't have a clear set of signs that people can see. You may know
that something's wrong, even though it may take a while to be diagnosed.
Lupus has many shades. It can affect people of different races, ethnicities,
and ages, both men and women. It can look like different diseases. It's
different for every person who has it.
The good news is that you can get help and fight lupus.
Learning about it is the first step. Ask questions. Talk to your doctor, family, and friends. People
who look for answers are more likely to find them. This booklet can help you get
started.
What Is Lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune (AW-toe-ih-MYOON) disease. Your body's immune system is like
an army with hundreds of soldiers. The immune system's job is to fight foreign
substances in the body, like germs and viruses. But in autoimmune diseases, the
immune system is out of control. It attacks healthy tissues, not
germs.
You can't catch lupus from another person. It isn't
cancer, and it isn't
related to AIDS.
Lupus is a disease that can affect many parts of the body. Everyone reacts
differently. One person with lupus may have swollen knees and fever. Another person
may be tired all the time or have kidney trouble. Someone else may have rashes.
Lupus can involve the joints, the skin, the kidneys, the lungs, the
heart and/or the brain. If you have lupus, it may affect two or three parts of
your body. Usually, one person doesn't have all the possible symptoms.
There are three main types of lupus:
- Systemic lupus
erythematosus (eh-RITH-eh-muh-TOE-sus) is the most common form. It's
sometimes called SLE, or just lupus. The word "systemic" means that the
disease can involve many parts of the body such as the heart, lungs, kidneys,
and brain. SLE symptoms can be mild or serious.
- Discoid lupus
erythematosus mainly affects the skin. A red rash may appear, or the skin
on the face, scalp, or elsewhere may change color.
- Drug-induced lupus is triggered by a few medicines. It's like
SLE, but symptoms are usually milder. Most of the time, the disease goes
away when the medicine is stopped. More men develop drug-induced lupus
because the drugs that cause it, hydralazine and procainamide, are used to
treat heart conditions that are more common in men.
Next: What are the signs and symptoms of lupus? »
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