SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

 
It occurs when the defense (immune) system loses the ability to recognize the body's organs and tissues as its own and begins to attack them, developing a generalized inflammatory response that leads to generalized involvement of the individual. Also known as autoimmunity processes or “loss of self-tolerance". It is typical that it begins in young women of reproductive age and is more common in some ethnic groups, mainly black and Asian, which tend to become more complicated.
 

What are the symptoms?

  Being a disease that affects in a general way, the symptoms it presents are varied:  
  • General: Weakness, decreased appetite, weight loss, fever.
  • On the skin: red rash on the cheeks (in the form of butterfly wings), increased sensitivity to sunlight, mouth ulcers, hair loss.
  • In the extremities: Pain or stiffness in the joints, deformity in the fingers, ruptures in the tendons.
  • In the blood: Decrease in white blood cells (especially lymphocytes), low hemoglobin, decrease in platelets.
  • In the heart: Inflammation of the heart muscle and its pleura (membrane that covers it), rhythm disturbances: Arrhythmias, enlargement of the heart, Insufficiency, obstruction of the heart arteries by fatty deposits (atherosclerosis).
  • Pulmonary: shortness of breath, cough, expectoration with blood, decreased lung capacity.
  • Gastrointestinal: Abdominal pain, inflammation of the liver, biliary cirrhosis.
  • Renal: presence of protein, blood or pus in urine, increased concentration of creatinine in the blood.
  • Neuropsychiatric: Headache, involuntary movements in the extremities (Korea), seizures, alterations in strength and sensation in the extremities. Anxiety, mood disturbances: depression to varying degrees, mania, psychosis.
   

How can I treat it?

  You should consult with your primary doctor if you suspect that you are suffering from this disease. Make changes in lifestyle: Healthy eating, sedentary lifestyle, tobacco consumption to reduce the risks of the aforementioned complications.
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