Collection of human autoimmune diseases
Medical condition
Lupus erythematosus is a collection of autoimmune diseases in which the human immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks healthy tissues. Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs. The most common and most severe form is systemic lupus erythematosus.
Signs and symptoms.
Symptoms vary from person to person, and may come and go. Almost everyone with lupus has joint pain and swelling. Some develop arthritis. Frequently affected joints are the fingers, hands, wrists, and knees.
Other common symptoms include:
Photosensitivity.
Photosensitivity is the amount to which an object reacts upon receiving photons especially in visible light. Photosensitivity is a known symptom of lupus, but its relationship to and influence on other aspects of the disease remain to be defined. Causes of photosensitivity may include:
Genetics.
It is typically believed that lupus is influenced by multiple genes. Lupus is usually influenced by gene polymorphisms, 30 of which have now been linked with the disorder. Some of these polymorphisms have been linked very tentatively, however, as the role that they play or the degree to which they influence the disease is unknown. Other genes that are commonly thought to be associated with lupus are those in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) family. There have been several cases wherein a single gene influence appears to be present, but this is rare. When a single gene deficiency does cause lupus, it is usually attributed to the complement protein genes "C1", "C2", or "C4". The influence of sex chromosomes and environmental factors are also noteworthy. Usually, these factors contribute to lupus by influencing the immune system. Several studies also indicate a potential association of lupus with mutations in DNA repair genes.
Age difference.
Lupus can develop in people at any age, but it does most commonly at ages 15 to 44, with varying results. Typically, the manifestation of the disease tends to be more acute in those of younger age. Women are more likely to get it than men. Patients with juvenile-onset lupus are more vulnerable to mucocutaneous manifestations of the disease (alopecia, skin rash, and ulceration of the mucous membranes) than any other age group, and they are also more susceptible to evaluation of pulmonary artery pressure. However, patients with late-onset lupus have a much higher mortality rate. Nearly 50% of those with late-onset lupus die of their condition. Women who are of childbearing age are also particularly at risk.
Differences in ethnicity.
Substantial data have been found to indicate that certain ethnic populations could be more at risk for lupus erythematosus and to have a better or worse prognosis. Asian, African, and Native Americans are more likely to get lupus than Caucasians. Caucasians seem generally to have a milder manifestation of the disease. Their survival rates after five years were typically around 94–96%, while patients of African and some Asian ethnicities had survival rates closer to 79–92%. The only documented ethnic group that had a higher survival rate than Caucasians was Koreans, who had survival rates nearer to 98%. Among Caucasians, the most common causes of death were complications involving the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, and malignancies. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is more prevalent in African Americans with lupus than in Caucasians with lupus.
Diagnosis.
Diagnosis of lupus will vary from person to person. It is common to be diagnosed with other illnesses before a doctor can finally give a diagnosis of lupus because a lot of the symptoms overlap with other common illness.
Diagnosis of lupus erythematosus requires a physical examination, blood and urine tests, and a skin or kidney biopsy. Some other tests that may need to be run include:
Classification.
Lupus erythematosus may manifest as systemic disease or in a purely cutaneous form also known as "incomplete lupus erythematosus". Lupus has four main types:
Of these, systemic lupus erythematosus (also known as SLE) is the most common and serious form.
A more thorough categorization of lupus includes the following types:
Treatment.
There is still no cure for lupus but there are options to help control symptoms. The goal for treatment is to prevent flare ups and reduce organ damage. Doctors may prescribe a handful of different medications to help with their patients' symptoms.
Some medications are:
After being diagnosed some treatment options that may be offered are:
Treatment consists primarily of immunosuppressive drugs (e.g., hydroxychloroquine and corticosteroids). A second-line drug is methotrexate in its low-dose schedule. In 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first new drug for lupus in more than 50 years to be used in the US, belimumab. In addition to medical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy has also been demonstrated to be effective in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression due to the psychological and social impacts that lupus may have.
People with SLE treated with standard care experience a higher risk of opportunistic infections and death than the general population. This risk is higher in men and in African Americans.
References.
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