Lupus is a chronic disease that causes pain and inflammation in any area of the body. It is an autoimmune disease, meaning that your immune system — the body’s system that typically fights off infections — attacks healthier tissue instead.
This disease most generally impacts your:
- Skin
- Joints
- Internal organs, such as your kidneys and heart
Since this disease impacts many areas of the body, it can be the cause of a lot of various symptoms.
What is inflammation?
Inflammation typically occurs when your immune system is fighting off an infection or trauma. Should lupus make your immune system attack healthier tissue, it could cause inflammation in many different body parts. Symptoms could include pain and swelling.
What are the types of lupus?
When people discuss this disease, they’re typically speaking about systemic lupus. But there are 4 types of this disease:
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most general type of this disease
- Cutaneous lupus, a type of disease that is confined to the skin
- Neonatal lupus, a rare form that impacts babies of women that have this disease
- Drug-induced lupus, a lupus-like disease initiated by specific prescription drugs
Who is at risk for developing lupus?
Anybody can develop lupus. But specific people are at a higher risk for developing this disease, including:
- Women age fifteen – forty-four
- Specific ethnic or racial groups — including those that are African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, or Native American
- Those that have a relative with lupus or additional autoimmune disease
What causes lupus?
Nobody knows what the cause of this disease is— but it and other autoimmune diseases are hereditary. Professionals also believe it might develop in a response to specific hormones (such as estrogen) or environmental causes. An environmental cause is something externally from the body that can trigger symptoms of lupus — or worsen them.
This disease cannot be spread—you cannot “catch” lupus or give it to somebody else.
What are the initial symptoms of lupus?
There is no one initial indication or symptom of this disease. The first indications and symptoms of lupus are generally the same as the symptoms of this disease, including:
- Fatigue
- Joint Pain
- Skin Rashes
- Hair Loss
- Mouth Sores
- Brain Fog
- Kidney Issues
- Depression & Anxiety
- Muscle Pain & Weakness
- Heart Issues
- Weight Changes
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