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Understanding Lupus - the Basics
What Is Lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system mistakes the body's own tissues as foreign invaders and attacks them. Some people with lupus suffer only minor inconvenience. Others suffer significant lifelong disability.
Lupus affects people of African, Asian, or Native American descent three times as often as it affects whites. Nine out of 10 people with lupus are women. The disease usually strikes between age 15 and 45.
There are two kinds of lupus:
- Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE).
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
DLE mainly affects skin that is exposed to sunlight.
SLE is more serious. It affects the skin and other vital organs, and can cause a raised, scaly, butterfly-shaped rash across the bridge of the nose and cheeks that can leave scars if it goes untreated.
Systemic lupus may also damage the connective tissue in the joints, muscles, and skin, as well as the membranes surrounding the lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain. SLE can also cause kidney disease. Brain involvement is rare, but lupus can cause confusion, depression, seizures, and rarely, strokes.
Blood vessels may come under attack. This can cause sores to break through the skin, especially in the fingers. Some lupus patients get Raynaud's syndrome, which makes the small blood vessels in the skin contract and this prevents blood from getting to the hands and feet -- especially in response to cold. Most attacks last only a few minutes, but can be painful. Lupus patients with Raynaud’s syndrome should keep their hands warm with gloves during cold weather.
What Causes Lupus?
No single factor is known to cause lupus. Research suggests that a combination of genetic, hormonal, and immune system factors may be behind it. There is a predisposition to developing the disease that does appear to be inherited.
Environmental factors, ranging from viral and bacterial infections to severe emotional stress or overexposure to sunlight, may play a role in provoking or triggering the disease. Certain drugs, such as the blood pressure drug hydralazine and the heart rhythm drug procainamide, may cause lupus-like symptoms. High estrogen levels resulting from pregnancy, estrogen replacement therapy, and oral contraceptives may aggravate lupus.
WebMD Medical Reference
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