Thursday May 10 is World Lupus Day. Even though more people are being diagnosed
with Lupus there are still many who don't know what Lupus is. Lupus also known as SLE, is an autoimmune
disease that affects the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, and other vital
organs. Simply explained the body's
immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue within the body. This leads to
long-term (chronic) inflammation. The underlying cause of this autoimmune
disease is not fully known. Some say it's genetic; however, many Lupus patients
have no one else in their family with a history of the illness or any other
autoimmune disease. Others say it's
caused by the environmental toxins and what we put into our body on daily
basis. Lupus can be hard to
diagnose. An estimated five million
people are living with lupus worldwide, including an estimated 1.5 million
Americans. 9 out of 10 people diagnosed with lupus are women. The disease strikes mostly young women of
childbearing age, however women in their 50's and 60's have also been diagnosed
with this debilitating disease.
Symptoms vary from person to person. Almost everyone with
SLE has joint pain and swelling.
Frequently affected by Lupus are joints, the fingers, hands, wrists, and
knees. Other symptoms include hair loss, butterfly rash (a rash over checks and
bridge of the nose), chest pain when taking a deep breath, fatigue, mouth
sores, sensitivity to light, fever and general discomfort, brain and nervous
system issues: headaches, numbness, tingling, seizures, vision problems,
personality change (due to some of the medication), digestive tract issues,
heart disease, lung issues and Raynaud's syndrome and scarring of the skin
known as discoid Lupus. Lupus not only affects the individual with the illness
it also impacts their family, friends, and work performance.
The Lupus Foundation of America http://www.lupus.org has a plethora of information about SLE. It is a great resource to get more
information about Lupus symptoms, testing, treatments and list of medical
practitioners who treat the disease. With all this information you would think
more people would be aware of this illness. Unfortunately, it is widely
under-recognized as a global health problem by the public, health
professionals, and governments.
Increasing awareness of Lupus will save lives. The best defense to fight
and control any illness is to educate yourself and loved ones about your
disease. This is one of the reasons why World Lupus Day was created to help the
world know and learn more about this autoimmune disease that is spreading
throughout the world, to help improve health care services and increase
research to finally find a cure. It is a day to make a difference in life of
those who have Lupus, as well as a day to help educate others about Lupus. Please join the international effort to
increase public awareness and understanding of lupus. Visit the World Lupus Day
website at www.worldlupusday.org.
