How do you explain lupus to someone?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease. In some ways, lupus represents a kind of allergic reaction by the body, in which the immune system sees the body's own healthy tissues and cells as foreign. Lupus is a chronic disease. This means that anyone who develops lupus will have lupus for the rest of his or her life.

How do you explain lupus to a family member?

Is lupus a very serious disease?

The seriousness of SLE can range from mild to life-threatening. The disease should be treated by a doctor or a team of doctors who specialize in care of SLE patients. People with lupus that get proper medical care, preventive care, and education can significantly improve function and quality of life.

What is the emotional cause of lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which skin, joints, and internal organs become inflamed. When contrasted with women who had not experienced trauma, women with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) were found to have nearly triple the risk of having lupus.

Should I tell my family I have lupus?

Sharing information about the illness, including its symptoms, its treatment and its prognosis, can lessen everyone's fears and concerns. If you have lupus, the most important thing you can do is let family members know the extent of your pain and fatigue. This will help them know when they need to help out.

What is lupus?

Is living with lupus hard?

Living with lupus can be hard, but a positive outlook is important. You can do several things to help you live with lupus. A good place to start managing your lupus is to work with your doctor and take your medications as directed. At times, you may feel sadness and anger.

Should I be worried about having lupus?

If your symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are mild or well-controlled, you may find it barely affects your day-to-day life and that you do not have any complications. However, for some people, SLE can be a more serious condition that can cause life-threatening complications.

What should you not do if you have lupus?

How to deal with someone with lupus?

Does lupus change your personality?

Mood swings and personality changes.

People with lupus may experience unpredictable changes in moods and personality traits. This can include feelings of anger and irritability. These may be related to the disease process or, in some cases, the use of corticosteroid medications.

Can lupus just go away?

Lupus is a chronic disease with no cure.

This means that you can manage it with treatment, but it will not go away. Treatment can help improve your symptoms, prevent flares, and prevent other health problems often caused by lupus.

What is the number one symptom of lupus?

The most common lupus symptoms (which are the same for men and women) are: Extreme fatigue (feeling tired all the time) Pain or swelling in the joints. Swelling in the hands, feet, or around the eyes.

What is lupus pain like?

Muscle and joint pain.

You may experience pain and stiffness, with or without swelling. This affects most people with lupus. Common areas for muscle pain and swelling include the neck, thighs, shoulders, and upper arms.

How long do you live once lupus starts?

The prognosis of lupus is better today than ever before. With close follow-up and treatment, 80-90% of people with lupus can expect to live a normal life span.

What are three triggers of lupus?

Common triggers include:

Overwork and not enough rest. Being out in the sun or having close exposure to fluorescent or halogen light. Infection. Injury.

Why is lupus misunderstood?

When a lupus flare occurs, many people will notice a return of the symptoms they experienced previously or they may even develop new symptoms,” Raymond said. Another struggle people with lupus face is that the disease is often not outwardly visible, causing it to be very misunderstood by the public.

Can you be happy with lupus?

There is no cure for SLE, but many people with the disease can manage their symptoms with proper treatment and lead a full, happy life.

Can you live a normal healthy life with lupus?

Many people with lupus can minimize flares, lessen the burden of the disease and live a quality life by following their treatment plan and taking care of themselves. In fact, nearly 90 percent of people with lupus live to a normal life expectancy.

Can you drive with lupus?

Lupus can indirectly cause other health problems that interfere with driving a vehicle. I have severe neck pain that started when I was stuck in bed for months due to fatigue and joint pain. This neck pain has prevented me from driving more often than anything else.

What can make lupus worse?

What can trigger a lupus flare? Emotional stress -- such as a divorce, death in the family, or other life complications -- and anything that causes physical stress to the body -- such as surgery, physical harm, pregnancy, or giving birth -- are examples of triggers that can set off lupus or bring about a lupus flare.

Does drinking water help lupus?

Be sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water throughout the day. This supports the elimination of toxic build up in the body, and a faulty digestive process common with lupus sufferers.

How do you stop lupus from progressing?

How fast does lupus progress?

Lupus nephritis tends to develop within 5 years of the appearance of initial lupus symptoms. The condition affects about 40% of people who have SLE and can lead to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in 22% of patients over a period of 15 years.

Can you have lupus your whole life and not know it?

Lupus has a wide variety of symptoms that can also be signs of other medical conditions. Because of this, there may be people with lupus who go undiagnosed throughout their lives. Lupus is also more prominent in certain ethnicities.

What is the most effective treatment for lupus?

Steroids Synthetic cortisone medications are some of the most effective treatments for reducing the swelling, warmth, pain, and tenderness associated with the inflammation of lupus. Cortisone usually works quickly to relieve these symptoms.