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Pathology => Human Diseases => Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus Erythematosus, chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system treats the body's own tissue as a foreign substance and produces antibodies to fight it. The damage caused by these antibodies may produce symptoms such as a characteristic butterfly-shaped rash on the face, headache, fatigue, arthritic joint disease, heart damage, shortness of breath, and impaired kidney function. Commonly known as lupus, the disease follows an irregular course of remissions and flare-ups, and may often be incapacitating. An estimated 1 million people in the United States suffer from lupus and the disease strikes women nine times more than men.
As with other autoimmune diseases, the exact cause, or trigger, for lupus remains unknown. Research has shown that the disease results when a specific set of susceptible genes is exposed to a combination of environmental factors such as infectious agents, certain drugs such as anticonvulsants, some penicillins, and estrogen therapy, excessive ultraviolet light, physical trauma, or emotional stress. It is not known which of these factors sets the illness in motion.
Diagnosis of lupus is difficult and can take years because symptoms are intermittent or may mimic other disorders. Diagnosis begins with a complete medical history, a physical examination, blood tests, and other studies that may be necessitated by the patient's symptoms. The physician, normally a rheumatologist (an expert on musculoskeletal and immune system conditions) must consider and rule out other disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome or mononucleosis before confirming the diagnosis. The disease is confirmed if the patient has four of eleven criteria devised by the American College of Rheumatology, including a butterfly rash, sun sensitivity, a kidney disorder, and blood abnormalities. If these criteria are not present, additional blood tests, bone scans, or skin biopsies may help confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment for lupus requires a balance of medication and the control of environmental factors. Medications include aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as well as prescription drugs such as antimalarials, which relieve joint, skin, and fatigue symptoms, and corticosteroids, strong substances that suppress the immune response. A patient with lupus should avoid sunlight, eat a healthy diet, exercise, and minimize stress.
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