What Is Lupus?

By  Lynn Marks  | Medically Reviewed by  Robert Jasmer, MD

This chronic, autoimmune condition often causes inflammation, pain, and swelling throughout the body. 
 
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect many different parts of the body.

Like other autoimmune diseases, lupus occurs when your body's immune system malfunctions, attacking your tissues and organs.

Lupus can cause damage to the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, blood cells, heart, and brain.

It's sometimes referred to as the "great imitator" because symptoms of lupus often resemble those of other illnesses.

Lupus Flares

People with lupus may experience periods of flares when symptoms show up, and periods of remission when symptoms are under control.

During a lupus flare, symptoms such as exhaustion, weight loss, fever, and anemia often occur.

Flares and remissions can happen at any time, without warning.

There's no cure for lupus, but treatments can reduce the severity of symptoms and enhance your quality of life.

Types of Lupus

There are several different types of lupus:

Systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, is the most common form of lupus.

Discoid lupus erythematosus causes a skin rash that doesn't go away.

Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus causes skin sores on areas of the body exposed to the sun.

Neonatal lupus affects newborns.

Drug-induced lupus can be caused by certain medicines.

Lupus Prevalence

At least 1.5 million people in the United States, and 5 million people worldwide, are living with lupus, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

More than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported each year in the United States.

Some experts believe the disease is underdiagnosed, meaning that many more people have lupus than statistics state, but they don't realize it.

Causes and Risk Factors

Researchers don't know exactly what causes lupus (or many other autoimmune diseases).

For some reason, the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues.

Most experts believe that genetic and environmental factors both play a role in the development of lupus.

Research has suggested that the disease might be triggered by factors such as infections, drugs, or sunlight.

Lupus isn't a contagious disease. You can't "catch" it or give it to someone else.

Being a woman puts you at a greater risk for developing lupus. The disease occurs 10 times more often in women than in men.

It's also more common in people of African, Hispanic, or Asian descent, although people of all races and ethnicities can get lupus.

Women of color are two to three times more likely to develop the disease than white women.

Most people are diagnosed with lupus between the ages of 15 and 40, but children and older adults can also develop the condition.

Lupus Complications

Lupus can cause damage to many parts of the body, potentially leading to the following complications:
•Kidney failure
•Blood problems, such as anemia (low red blood cell count), bleeding, or clotting
•High blood pressure
•Vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels)
•Memory problems
•Behavior changes or hallucinations
•Seizures
•Stroke
•Heart disease or heart attack
•Lung conditions, such as pleurisy (inflammation of the chest cavity lining) or pneumonia
•Infections
•Cancer
•Avascular necrosis (death of bone tissue due to a lack of blood supply)

Lupus and Cancer

Lupus isn't a form of cancer, but having the disease may increase your risk of developing certain cancers.

Researchers aren't sure what accounts for this link.

Treatments for lupus and cancer sometimes overlap.

Therapies for lupus may include medicines that are also used as cancer chemotherapy drugs.

Sources: everydayhealth.com
Founder: e-daifu.com