Lupus Foundation of Sri Lanka

What is Lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissue. This results in symptoms such as inflammation, swelling, and damage to joints, skin, kidneys, blood, the heart, and lungs.

Under normal function, the immune system makes proteins called antibodies in order to protect and fight against antigens such as viruses and bacteria. Lupus makes the immune system unable to differentiate between antigens and healthy tissue. This leads the immune system to direct antibodies against the healthy tissue - not just antigens - causing swelling, pain, and tissue damage.
(* An antigen is a substance capable of inducing a specific immune response.)

What are the symptoms of lupus?

Since no two cases of lupus are exactly alike, there is a wide range of symptoms that are known to affect many parts of the body. Sometimes symptoms develop slowly or appear suddenly; they can be mild, severe, temporary, or permanent. Most people with lupus experience symptoms in only a few organs, but more serious cases can lead to problems with kidneys, the heart, the lungs, blood, or the nervous system.

Lupus episodes, or flares, are usually noted by a worsening of some of the following symptoms:

  • Achy joints (arthralgia), arthritis, and swollen joints, especially in wrists, small joints of the hands, elbows, knees, and ankles
  • Swelling of the hands and feet due to kidney problems
  • Fever of more than 100 degrees F (38 degrees C)
  • Prolonged or extreme fatigue
  • Skin lesions or rashes, especially on the arms, hands, face, neck, or back
  • Butterfly-shaped rash (malar rash) across the cheeks and nose
  • Anemia (oxygen carrying deficiency of red blood cells)
  • Pain in the chest on deep breathing or shortness of breath
  • Sun or light sensitivity (photosensitivity)
  • Hair loss or alopecia
  • Abnormal blood clotting problems
  • Raynaud's phenomenon: fingers turn white and/or blue or red in the cold
  • Seizures
  • Mouth or nose ulcers
  • Weight loss or gain
  • Dry eyes
  • Easy bruising
  • Anxiety, depression, headaches, and memory loss

 

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