Lupus Facts

What is LUPUS?

• Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of various parts of the body. Along with its duty to fight bacteria, viruses and other foreign materials, the immune system malfunctions andproduces autoantibodies that attack a person's own tissues.
• Lupus is NOT infectious, rare, or cancerous.

What causes it?

• The cause of lupus is currently unknown, but research points to heredity; hormones, immune system dysfunction, infections (including viruses), or some external environmental occurrence.
• Sunlight, infection, injury, surgery, stress and exhaustion are some of the things that have been reported to trigger lupus flares (disease activity).
• Scientists suspect that individuals are genetically predisposed to lupus and that the disease remains quiet until a trigger sets the disease process in motion.

What are the symptoms?

• Because lupus manifests in various ways and mimics the symptoms of other diseases, diagnosis can be difficult; everyone will not experience the same set of symptoms.
• Some common symptoms of lupus include joint and muscle pain; extreme fatigue, persistent low-grade fever, rashes (usually on the face or upper body), weight loss, hair loss, photosensitivity, pleurisy (chest pain upon deep breathing), headache and mouth or nose ulcers. 

Who gets it?

• Lupus affects approximately 1 out of every 185 Americans and over twenty thousand Minnesotans.
• Although lupus can occur at any age - and in either sex - 90% of people living with lupus are female. Diagnosis is most often made during child-bearing years, between the ages of 15 and 45. African Americans, Asians, Latinos and Native Americans are at greater risk.
• Only 10% of those diagnosed with lupus will have a close relative (parent or sibling) who already has or may develop lupus. Approximately 5% of the children born to individuals with lupus will develop the illness.
• According to a 1994 market research study conducted by Bruskin / Goldring Research, between 1.4 and 2 million people have been diagnosed with lupus. This disease is more prevalent than multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, sickle cell anemia and leukemia.
  

What about a cure?  

• Much like the cause(s) of lupus, a cure has not yet been found.
• Lupus ranges from mild to life-threatening. For most people, lupus is a manageable disease; for others, it may cause serious - sometimes life-threatening complications. With earlier diagnosis, appropriate treatment and life style adjustments (often minor), the vast majority of people with lupus can expect to lead a regular life span.
• Most lupus patients can control the illness through:
  • Ongoing education
  • Exploring complementary therapies
  • Careful monitoring
  • Adhering to proper treatment plans 
  • Leading a healthy lifestyle
• New lupus research brings unexpected results and increased hope each year.With current methods of therapy, 80-90% of those living with lupus can look forward to a normal life span.