Quick Reads
1-2 minute quick reads for healthier living!
May is Lupus Awareness Month
The story usually goes something like this. It usually happens after returning from a honeymoon from a warm climate like the Caribbean. The honeymooners have had a wonderful time being on the beach swimming, lounging, baking in the sun. They have returned with a nice suntan. It is about 2 weeks later and it is she, less often he, who starts feeling tired. She should be excited about being newly married, but she does not feel like herself. The redness across her checks is not going away. She has redness on her hands that is not responding to her moisturizer. The skin redness is also affecting her scalp. She is losing more of her beautiful hair. She also starts complaining of joint aches.
These complaints are very general but are characteristic of an autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus. This illness can be confused with a number of different diseases. Lupus seems to be able to cause almost every kind of problem imaginable. That is why it can be difficult to make a diagnosis. Many doctors, other than rheumatologists, have difficulty recognizing the disease. Patients can go for years, visiting a number of different doctors without the problem being identified.
The disease can affect all ages, but is particularly common in young women. It is unfortunate that many of these lupus patients become ill after a significant amount of sun exposure that causes sunburn. This damage to the skin is the irritant that ignites the immune system. Instead of fighting the outside world, the immune system damages the inside world causing injury to a wide range of organs.
Our understanding of the disease has expanded tremendously over the past few decades. Great strides have been made in making the diagnosis and developing treatments that bring the disease under control. The future is much brighter for our newlywed to live a full and productive life. Making the diagnosis and being aware of the disease is essential. So being aware of Lupus is important this month and all the other eleven months of the year.
Back to Quick Reads