There are many types of autoimmune diseases, and one that affects as many as five million people around the globe is lupus erythematosus, usually known simply as lupus. Like most autoimmune disorders, most forms of lupus have no cure, and doctors can only treat the symptoms of the disease using a variety of medicines.
To understand lupus, it is first helpful to understand autoimmune diseases in general. For a healthy person, the immune system defends our bodies against harmful invaders, such as viruses or foreign bacteria. When one has an autoimmune disease, the immune system instead begins attacking our body. With lupus, the immune system begins to attack healthy tissues instead of keeping the body safe from disease.
Lupus appears in several different forms, two of which are generally less serious. Neonatal lupus occurs sometimes when a child is born to a mother who has lupus, but the symptoms usually go away in a matter of weeks. Chronic use of certain types of heart medicine can cause a form of drug-induced lupus, but this too often goes away once the person discontinues the particular drug. Discoid lupus is another form of lupus, and one that typically affects only the skin, although it can be painful and causes scarring. Systemic lupus is the fourth type and it can affect many different areas of the body.
Systemic lupus is by far the most common, and 90 percent of those diagnosed are women. This is a very difficult disease to diagnose because symptoms often come and go, and because the symptoms mimic many other diseases. One common marker of lupus is a butterfly rash on the face, but this appears on only about half of those who have the disease. In general, those afflicted suffer from joint pain, fever, extreme fatigue, swollen glands, chest pain and mouth sores. You can even suffer from depression, problems with memory and seizures, and lupus can cause repeated miscarriages. The severity of symptoms and the combination of symptoms can be different from person to person.
While it certainly is important for all of us to undergo preventative testing, such as that which screens for breast cancer and colon cancer, it is especially needed for lupus patients. They have a higher risk of getting infections, as well as cancer, heart disease and even osteoporosis. Eating well, exercising and scheduling screening tests can be good ways to prevent serious problems from occurring.
There are many medications that treat lupus, including corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory drugs and even anti-malarial drugs. In addition, there are drugs available that use monoclonal antibodies to deal with symptoms of lupus. Belimumab, for example, was created from a monoclonal antibody and is used for some patients with systemic lupus.
To understand lupus, it is first helpful to understand autoimmune diseases in general. For a healthy person, the immune system defends our bodies against harmful invaders, such as viruses or foreign bacteria. When one has an autoimmune disease, the immune system instead begins attacking our body. With lupus, the immune system begins to attack healthy tissues instead of keeping the body safe from disease.
Lupus appears in several different forms, two of which are generally less serious. Neonatal lupus occurs sometimes when a child is born to a mother who has lupus, but the symptoms usually go away in a matter of weeks. Chronic use of certain types of heart medicine can cause a form of drug-induced lupus, but this too often goes away once the person discontinues the particular drug. Discoid lupus is another form of lupus, and one that typically affects only the skin, although it can be painful and causes scarring. Systemic lupus is the fourth type and it can affect many different areas of the body.
Systemic lupus is by far the most common, and 90 percent of those diagnosed are women. This is a very difficult disease to diagnose because symptoms often come and go, and because the symptoms mimic many other diseases. One common marker of lupus is a butterfly rash on the face, but this appears on only about half of those who have the disease. In general, those afflicted suffer from joint pain, fever, extreme fatigue, swollen glands, chest pain and mouth sores. You can even suffer from depression, problems with memory and seizures, and lupus can cause repeated miscarriages. The severity of symptoms and the combination of symptoms can be different from person to person.
While it certainly is important for all of us to undergo preventative testing, such as that which screens for breast cancer and colon cancer, it is especially needed for lupus patients. They have a higher risk of getting infections, as well as cancer, heart disease and even osteoporosis. Eating well, exercising and scheduling screening tests can be good ways to prevent serious problems from occurring.
There are many medications that treat lupus, including corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory drugs and even anti-malarial drugs. In addition, there are drugs available that use monoclonal antibodies to deal with symptoms of lupus. Belimumab, for example, was created from a monoclonal antibody and is used for some patients with systemic lupus.
About the Author:
Armand Zeiders loves blogging about biomedical research. For more info regarding custom monoclonal antibody production service, or to find a company offering custom peptide synthesis, please check out the Primm Biotech website today.
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