1-2 minute quick reads for healthier living!

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May is Lupus Awareness Month – What You Need to Know

May is Lupus Awareness Month. It seems as good as any other month of the year. People start emerging from their homes after winter. They start getting more sun exposure. Sun exposure can cause the onset of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, an autoimmune disease where your own body's defense mechanism starts fighting you instead of the outside world. Although lupus (SLE) month is May, it can happen any month of the year. Lupus is an equal opportunity illness. It can happen anytime.

Lots of misconceptions surround this mysterious illness, including "It only happens in black, young women, and there is a high mortality rate". Yes, black woman are at risk for lupus but so are older Caucasian men. People of any age can get this illness, even newborn babies. Lupus is a serious illness but do not get your burial plot ready just yet. I see individuals with lupus who have been my patients for 30 years.

Rheumatologists are the internal medicine subspecialists who treat this illness. New therapies are currently available and others are being developed.

May is Lupus Awareness Month. If you or a loved one has symptoms that are concerning like arthritis, loss of scalp hair, persistent oral ulcers, or hands that turn colors in the cold (Raynaud's phenomenon) May is a good month to see your physician!

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