Lupus is one of the cruelest, most mysterious diseases on earth, an unpredictable and misunderstood autoimmune disease that ravages different parts of the body.
It is more pervasive and more severe than people think. Most people with lupus don’t look sick. Victims can appear normal while suffering intense pain in different parts of their bodies. It impacts nearly all aspects of a person’s life: relationships, daily responsibilities, finances, and basic enjoyment of life.
May is Lupus Awareness Month. Readers can help by showing support for those, mostly women, who suffer from this brutal affliction. Lupus can strike anyone, but 90% of the people living with lupus are females. Men, children, and teenagers develop lupus too.
No two cases of lupus are alike. Common symptoms include joint pain, skin rashes, overwhelming fatigue, and fevers that last for days or weeks.
Lupus can affect any organ or tissue, from the skin or joints to the heart or kidneys. Two leading causes of serious illness and death from lupus are kidney disease and heart disease. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. At this point, the disease has no cure and can be fatal.
The disease is not contagious, but recent studies show that 41% of people are not comfortable shaking hands or sharing food with someone with lupus.
While the causes of lupus are unknown, scientists believe hormones, genetics (heredity), and environmental factors are involved. More research is needed to better understand the role of these factors. People of all races and ethnicities can develop lupus, but it occurs two to three times more frequently among African Americans, Asians, Hispanics/Latinos, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans than among Caucasians.
Lupus usually develops between ages 15 and 44 and lasts a lifetime. It can be expensive to live with and to treat. The average annual direct and indirect costs incurred can exceed $21,000, higher than for those living with heart disease, bipolar disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension, and asthma.
There is no single blood test to diagnose lupus, and its symptoms mimic those of other diseases, vary in intensity, and can come and go over time. More than half of those afflicted with lupus suffered at least four years and saw three or more doctors before obtaining a correct diagnosis of lupus.
To donate, contact the Lupus Foundation of America at 2121 K Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20037-1830; (202) 349-1155; or www.lupus.org.
(Source: Lupus Foundation of America)