Lupus Disease -Symptoms and Treatments

Updated on October 21, 2015

Lupus Butterfly Rash

The rash is typically on the cheeks and across the nose and affects approximately 15% of Lupus patients. Web MD

Lupus Disease

Lupus means "wolf". Erythematosus means "redness". In 1851, doctors thought the facial rash that frequently accompanies lupus looked like the bite of a wolf, thus the name. I've had the "butterfly rash" as I prefer to think of it, which is one of the more classic signs of lupus. The wolf name just doesn't sit well with me! One of the sad aspects of lupus is that it takes five years for most people to get diagnosed,yet over 50 million people have an autoimmune disease.

I like to be well informed and have found "The Lupus Book: A Guide for Patients and Their Families" by Dr. Daniel J. Wallace to be very helpful. There are many other helpful books available. There are more well-known people finally admitting to suffering from this disease, including Toni Braxton. She has had to give up a lucrative singer career in order to save her life.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is one of the autoimmune diseases that involve your immune system turning against your body. It is a multi-system disease. Lupus varies greatly in severity in individuals from mild cases with minimal intervention to those with significant symptoms and potentially fatal damage occurs to vital organs, such as the lungs, heart, kidney and brain. The disease is also characterized by flares of activity interspersed with periods of improvement or remission. It is a difficult disease to diagnose as many of the symptoms are also found in other diseases.

Lupus Symptoms

Common Symptoms Include:

Malar "butterfly rash over the cheeks of the face (only affects about 15%)

Lupus Books with Good Information

Lupus Symptoms

The more symptoms a person has from the above list, the greater likelihood they have lupus, usually 4-7 confirm a diagnosis. There is no one specific test for lupus. The ANA blood test is usually positive about 97% of the time if you have lupus. A Very Good Rheumatologist is a must. They are specifically trained in autoimmune diseases. They will do a complete physical, a battery of blood and a urine test to help confirm the disease. You need a good working relationship with your rheumatologist, so that you are comfortable talking with them about any problems you are experiencing. Then, you will get on the right medical regimen for you.

Depression is often a problem found in lupus patients, especially when their symptoms develop slowly for years and they have no explanation or if their disease is advanced. If you are in an active disease time, more sleep us required, but it seems poor sleep quality is also a problem when you have lupus and adds to the fatigue problem. It is a "bone weary" tired that nightly sleep does not remedy. I find an afternoon nap helps me tremendously. Obviously this is not an option is you are working and you may need to find a way to have extra down time on the weekends, times outs when possible, take your lunch to work and put your feet up are just a few suggestions.

The America with Disabilities Act does insure you can request proper lighting at work, as fluorescent lighting is not healthy, a wrist support if you do a lot of computer work is helpful or perhaps a chair that is more comfortable to you. I would certainly suggest you check into what your company might be willing to do to accommodate your disability. Another helpful consideration is carefully prescribed exercise which will help maintain your joints and muscle tone, plus range of motion in your joints.

Lupus Affected Areas of the Body

source medicinelupus

Lupus

Medical Treatment of Lupus

The most exciting new medical treatment for lupus is Benlysta,which was developed by Glaxo/Smith/Kline, and is the first medication that actually treat the disease of lupus versus the symptoms. This medication is used when other medications fail and if very effective for patients with Lupus Nephritis. Nausea, diarrhea and fever are the most common side effects, but the medication promises to be more effective in Lupus treatment with fewer side effects than the other medications.

Other commonly used drugs include acetaminophen and and NSAIDs, such as Naprosyn, Anaprox, Daypor, Lodine, Indocin, Ralenfen and Voltaren. These are the more minor drugs that relieve acts and pains, including some joint pain and headaches.

Prednisone is a corticosteroid that suppresses the immune system and is frequently used to treat lupus patients, hopefully for the short term as the long term side effects include cataracts, weight gain, osteoporosis, fluid retention, easy bruising, an increased risk of infections, elevated blood pressure, muscle weakness and gastritis. In higher doses the side effects are more severe.

Other immune suppressant drugsfor more serious lupus problems include: methotrexate, Cytoxan, Imuran, Azasen, Cellcept and Avara. An increased risk of infection is a major risk. Other possible side effects include liver damage, decreased fertility, and increased risk of cancer.

Lupus Organization

Another problem the Lupus Organization explains is the term "lupus fog". It is almost universally known to people with lupus. The phrase reflects the difficulty that you may have in completing once-familiar tasks, such as remembering names and dates, keeping appointments, balancing your checkbook, or processing your thoughts. Properly termed "cognitive dysfunction" or "cognitive impairment," this inability to recall information can be extremely frustrating. These symptoms may come and go, but may also be continuous, making school or work difficult or even impossible in extreme cases. People with both lupus and Fibromyalgia are even more likely to experience cognitive problems".

Help Yourself by Learning about Lupus

Flicker

In Conclusion

In conclusion, lupus is a complicated disease, which is why a good rheumatologist is so important. It is also important to develop a strong support group within your family and friends. It is very difficult to get affordable life insurance once you have this diagnosis, despite the fact that most people live many years with proper treatment.

Learn to live within your ability for activity, which means sometimes skipping that shopping trip, or cleaning the house perfectly. The most important thing is to find some stress relief and if you don’t take care of yourself, you sure can’t help anyone else.

Comments 21 comments

Great advice, horrible disease. I give all my old clothes to the Lupus Foundation to help them raise money for research.

Pamela99 7 years ago from United States Author

Hi Pop, Thank you for supporting the Lupus Foundation. I know this is a serious article, but meant to be informative of all the possible damage Lupus can do in your body. I can't tell you know many times I have been told that "you don't look sick" and yet I was totally exhausted and on pain pills for all the joint pain, etc. Thank goodness there will probably be some new drugs on the market next year, which will be the first new drugs for Lupus in 50 years!

Roberta99 7 years ago

My daughter has lupus and has had many of the problems listed. This is a good informative article.

stephanie mclain 7 years ago from Texas

My oldest sister (I have 4) has had Lupus for as long as I can remember. It was only in the past few months that I started getting information about it and truly educating myself. I think a lot of people, myself included, don't realize the toll Lupus puts on people. Thank you for this hub!

Pamela99 7 years ago from United States Author

Stephanie, I write about lupus so people will understand that it is a complicated disease. Some people have rather mild cases and some people ultimately die. So often, the person with lupus might look a little tired and pale but not really sick which is one reason others don't understand. Thank you for your comment and I wish your sister the best.

callmesplash7 6 years ago

When I asked you what exactly lupus was I guess i should have looked at more of your hubs! here it is! :O)

callmesplash7 6 years ago

Thank you Pam! Tomorrow is actually just a consult with the breast surgeon to schedule the biopsy. Everything seems to take forever. As far as my Mother she lived In AZ and I live in the Seattle area so i didn't see her as much as I would have liked to. I din't know all of her symptoms but I do know it seems as though every organ you could have removed she had removed as well as open heart surgery but I actually witnessed her talk the dr's into that one, they said she didn't need it and would be fine with a stint (spelling?) she had been there, done that and wanted a better fix she said. One day she went in for routine hernia surgery and was said to come home the next day. My brother called me from AZ and told me the nurses found my mother in her hospital room ...she had died. I still have no idea why as my brother took it upon himself to cremate her etc. It was a terrible situation, a lot more to that story...

Pamela99 6 years ago from United States Author

That is a sad experience as you really didn't even get a chance to say goodbye or find out what truly happened.

theguru-reports 6 years ago from Montana

Play by play description on what we go through here with my wife's illness with Lupus. Thanks for the clear explanation

teamrn 5 years ago from Chicago

I see that most of the comments are more than a year old. Diagnosed w/ SLE about 10 years ago, it was then a minor inconvenience. Now it runs my life with potentially life-threatening problems. Donate clothes, the extra $5 bill that you might save by not going to Starbux one day; donate to the Lupus Foundation, so that there might be a cure for this horrible disease.

Pamela99 5 years ago from United States Author

teamrn, I agree that Lucas is a very worthy cause to donate to, after all they just came out with the first medicine to actually treat the disease in 50 years. I've written some other hubs about lupus and one of them was where Congress approves some money for research but considering the number of people that have lupus there isn't nearly enough research happening. John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore is one of the main research hospitals and a good source of information. Thank you so much for your comments.

MKTrainum 5 years ago from Bergen County, New Jersey

I need help....I am a 48 yr old who was diagnosed 15+ years ago. I had no idea at that time, how much my life would change. I was an RN who loved my job.Spent most of my life "helping others". Little did I know my dreams would be shattered...lupus would cause me to lose so much! . It wasn't long before I was unable to work because of being so sick. The stress took it's toll on my marriage and it wasn't long before I had to face the reality that I was unable to care for my own children. As the medical bills increased, so did the financial stress I eventually ended up in a homeless shelter. Now I am the one needing to reach out for help!

Pamela99 5 years ago from United States Author

MKTrainum, You certainly have had a difficult time and hope that you have a good rheumatologist. It seems quite often men get really sick with lupus but there is a new drug on the market called the Benesta which actually treat the disease. I don't know if you could get access to the medication is better might be very helpful.

I am an RN also and had to quit work die to omplications of lupus but my husband has stick with me. I am so sorry that you have ended up in a homeless shelter. I appreciate all your comments and I certainly hope that life gets better for you soon.

Panda 4 years ago

Hi Pam im diagnosed with mixed connective diseases,ive been confused a lot fatiged ,loss of sleep ,pain all day every day for years in 2010 i learned about this.also inflammed disc. how does one cope.depressed and hospitalized in2011 of july.because i had anervous break down, the flare ups are so bad ,i stay home in bed a lot need support group help me.

Pamela99 4 years ago from United States Author

Panda, See if you have any support groups in you area for your disease. You might try massage therapy, biofeedback, meditation and be evaluated for medication to help with your depression. Chronic disease is so difficult to live with. You really have to focus only on those things you can do because it is a huge lifestyle change. I hope you have the support of loved ones also. Stress absolutely makes these types of diseases worse. have learned to not take many things too seriously.

Somehow you need to be able to get out of bed, even if it is just sitting up in an easy chair. Confide your feelings to a friend or a therapist, so you don't hold everything inside. I hope you have a good rheumatologist also. I wish you a better future. These diseases do sometime go into remission, so there is hope.

eagle45 4 years ago

MPH

I had Lupus 20 blood transfusion,joint pain almost died twice, until I found Pregnenolone I am 58 years old I was grasping at anything I can get my hands on I found DHEA and Pregnenolone the website instructed 200 to 300 Mg for 7 days then move to 50mg a day. The 7th day I was red all over with blood circulating No pain in the joints no muscle pain. I went to the VA app. blood draw I went from 6.5 to whopping 15. It has been a year now I no longer have Lupus. I feel great. I will take 50mg for the rest of my life. My sister says I look 10 years younger.

Pregnenolone is in your skin, eyes, hair, your brain have to have it to function, It is your body immune regulator When levels drop the immune system is out of control, 150 hormones come from Pregnenolone Look it up. thank you

November 10, 2012 1:29 PM

Pamela99 4 years ago from United States Author

eagle, I have tried DHEA but am unfamiliar with Pregnenolone, but I will certainly check it out. Now I have other complications however, which are lung disease and adrenal insufficiency due to being on prednisone for so many years. I am going to look up the medication and thank you so much for sharing this information.

DanaTeresa 3 years ago from Ohio

I have a raging case of fibromyalgia and most likely sjogren's (the blood results are a weak positive but I have all the symptoms. My rheumatologist will not say a definite yes or no about lupus. my bloodwork is "fuzzy" and I only have some symptoms (mainly fatigue and sore joints). She has me on Celebrex, lyrica, and plaquenil. The Celebrex is the only thing I know does anything. I tell her there are days when I have a lot of pain in my hips. All she says is go to physical therapy and take a warm bath. This is all new to me. How did you figure out what works for you? I cant figure out if I am doing too much or not enough. All I know is that I am tired and achy and feel about 80 years old! ... Where can I get some good guidance? (I have a therapist and she seems just as lost)

Pamela99 3 years ago from United States Author

DanaTeresa, I have lupus and it took a while to get diagnosed, however, I had eight out of the 11 symptoms. Then, I had a kidney biopsy. Unfortunately I have been on prednisone for many years. I have also taken the medications you listed and I could never tell whether plaquenil helped or not.

It is very difficult to treat these autoimmune diseases. I did have all the amalgam removed from my teeth and I believe it helped. I also stay away from foods that create mucus and information, so I don't use any milk products and the eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. As you said some days are much better than others and I have been on numerous drugs over the last 25 years. Lupus finally has a specific drug to treat the disease, but that doesn't help you unless you have the diagnosis.

You might want to try another rheumatologist for second opinion. I recently went to a homeopathic doctor about two months ago and I'm hoping he's going to help. I have never tried one before but I like him, so we'll see. I wish you the best of luck in better health. I find an afternoon nap of about an hour helps me get through the day also. Thank you for your comments.

DanaTeresa 3 years ago from Ohio

THANK YOU SO MUCH for commenting back. I have always avoided naps, but I think I am going to try it. I need to find a way to get through the day.

Pamela99 3 years ago from United States Author

DanaTeresa, I used to avoid naps also but I found if I take a short nap it makes a big difference. However, if I sleep too long I have trouble sleeping at night. I hope the naps work for you.