Lupus is an inflammatory disease that affects approximately 5 million people worldwide, the majority of whom are female. In fact, it affects 9 women for every 1 man. What is this disease, its causes and symptoms, and how can it be treated?
What is lupus?
Lupus is a Latin word meaning “wolf”. It is a chronic autoimmune disease that usually results from a malfunctioning immune system that starts attacking different components of the body. It can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, heart, brain … The appearance of various symptoms can disrupt the life of the person who suffers from it. This is the case of Mallory Dixon, a 29-year-old girl who recounts her experience with this unpredictable disease.
At the age of 17, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, but the persistent symptoms she experienced led her doctors to recommend the treatment to her parents.
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After carefully examining her condition and analyzing her symptoms and medical history, the doctor was finally able to determine what disease she suffered from: lupus. This diagnosis came 6 years after the initial diagnosis.
She says that the day before she went to this doctor, she thought that she would not survive that night. In fact, Dixon arrived at the clinic in a state of clinical death before he could be resuscitated. She was admitted to the hospital and spent 86 days there under observation. She underwent many examinations and underwent several treatments such as chemotherapy and dialysis, and she was also given artificial respiration because she often fell into a coma. During his stay in the hospital, doctors discovered that lupus had spread through his body and reached his kidneys, causing him the pains that plagued him. His kidney function began to fail.
Dixon claims that if her disease had been diagnosed earlier, it could have stopped its spread and damaged vital organs. This is why she believes that people need to know better about lupus and its symptoms.
Symptoms of lupus that affect both men and women:
Chronic fatigue condition
Fever
headache
Sun and light sensitivity
Anemia
unusual blood clots
hair loss
Swelling and joint pain
Nose and mouth ulcers
Blue or white toes when it’s cold
Chest pain when breathing deeply
Swelling of the hands, feet, legs, and around the eyes
A butterfly-shaped rash on the cheeks and nose.
Many people with lupus may seem fine while feeling very depressed. They may look completely normal, but they experience pain that makes daily tasks difficult.
Lupus has also been called “the great imitator”. It imitates the symptoms of other diseases, which complicates its diagnosis.
Dixon says no cases of lupus have ever been reported in her family. On the other hand, psoriasis, which is also an autoimmune disease, is hereditary.
Moreover, it has been found that people with lupus are also prone to other autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, scleroderma, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, vitiligo, inflammatory bowel disease, reactive arthritis, and celiac disease. digestion dysfunction. poor digestion Dyspepsia Graves and Sjogren’s Syndrome. Celiac disease, Addison’s disease, and pernicious anaemia.
The cells and tissues of the body find themselves attacked by antibodies produced by the immune system, as if they were pathogenic germs or viruses.
What causes lupus?
Although genetics plays an important role in the transmission of lupus, it is not a determining factor. Just because someone in your family has it doesn’t mean you will, too. Its appearance is favored by other factors such as the environment, stress or hormones, including estrogen, which is largely responsible for the disease in women.
Lupus usually affects people between the ages of 15 and 44, which is the period when women are most sexually active and fertile. It also appears in people between the ages of 70 and 80.
To date, there is no specific treatment for this disease. However, taking certain anti-inflammatories or immunosuppressants can help relieve symptoms, especially during flare-ups. Furthermore, people who suffer from it are generally able to read the signals their bodies send and recognize the factors that cause them pain. For Dixon, illness is mostly colds, stress, and physical exertion.
She ended her testimony by expressing her gratitude to her family and friends who supported her and said that every person diagnosed with lupus should be resolute and show courage to fight this disease.
