Lupus

Lupus is not only one of Dr. House's favorite diagnoses, but is also the name of a collection of autoimmune diseases where the immune system becomes overactive and attacks its own, healthy cells. The most common, severe, and most well-known form of lupus is systemic lupus erythematosus.

Categorized overview of the various lupus diseases

As mentioned, lupus comes in many variants and different presentations. Here is an overview in alphabetical order:

Acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus

Chilbains lupus erythematosus

Discoid lupus erythematosus

Hypertrophic lupus erythematosus

Chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus

Lupus erythematosus-lichen planus overlapping syndrome

Lupus erythematosus profundus

Drug-induced lupus

Neonatal lupus erythematosus

Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus

Symptoms of lupus

Common symptoms of lupus include joint pain and swelling, as well as a high chance of developing arthritis. Common joints that are affected are fingers, hands, wrists and knees. Other relatively common symptoms include chest pain on inhalation, fatigue, fever without specific cause, dissatisfaction, hair loss, mouth ulcers, sunlight sensitivity and swollen lymph nodes.

Another characteristic sign of lupus is "butterfly rash" - which occurs in about half of those with systemic lupus erythematosus. This rash can occur on the face, chest or hands.

Butterfly rash - Photo Wikimedia Commons

Clinical signs

As mentioned above under 'symptoms'.

Diagnosis and cause

It is believed that the cause of lupus lies in genetics and gene changes. In particular, the genes HLA, C1, C2 and C4 appear to be directly linked to the presence of lupus. The diagnosis is based on symptoms, clinical signs, thorough history and examination.

Who is affected by the disease?

Lupus affects women more often than men (7: 1). It is estimated that 0.041% are affected by the disease. The disease is more common among those of African descent. 70% of lupus diagnoses are systemic lupus erythematosus.

Treatment

There is no cure for lupus. Immunosuppressive drugs are the main treatment for lupus. In 2011, a new drug was approved by the US FDA for the treatment of lupus - it is called belimubab.

The most common form of treatment for autoimmune conditions is included immunosuppression - that is, drugs and measures that limit and cushion the body's own defense system. Gene therapy that limits inflammatory processes in immune cells has shown great progress in recent times, often in combination with increased activation of anti-inflammatory genes and processes.

Alternative and natural treatment

It is believed that several people suffering from autoimmune diseases use alternative and natural treatment methods. These can be controversial (such as the use of medical cannabis) or more common, such as herbal medicine, yoga, acupuncture, oxygen therapy and meditation.

Also read: - Complete overview of autoimmune diseases