Lupus

What is Lupus Chronic autoimmune disease –Affects parts or all of the body including skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain. Your body is attacking itself –The body can’t tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissues.

Types of Lupus Discoid (cutaneous) – limited to the skin. Causes rashes. Systemic (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) – can affect any and all organs. No two people usually have the same symptoms. Drug-induced – drugs such as hydralazine and procainamide. 4% affected, men. Neonatal – rare, passage of maternal autoantibodies.

Who has it? 1.5 – 2 million Americans More than 90% of cases are women Symptoms and diagnosing usually occur during child-bearing years. In the U.S. lupus is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans than in Caucasians.

How do you get Lupus Genetics – does run in families, but no gene identified. Enviornmental – UV light, drugs, stress, hormones, infections. Drug reaction – reversible condition that usually occurs in patients being treated for a long-term illness.

Symptoms Ages Difficult to diagnose because of the variety of symptoms –extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints, inexplicable fever, skin rashes, kidney problems, loss of function either on the inside or outside of the body.

Other symptoms Other symptoms include: –hair loss, chest pain, sensitivity to the sun, pale or, purple fingers and toes from cold and stress, headaches, dizziness, depression, and seizures, headaches, dizziness, memory and vision problems, strokes, or changes in behavior.

Even more symptoms Anemia (low red blood cells), leukopenia (decreased white cells), thrombocytopenia (a decreased number of platelets in the blood.) Nephritis (inflammation of kidney’s), coronary vasculitis (inflammation of the arteries), myocarditis, endocarditis, pericarditis (inflammation of the heart), pleuritis (inflammation of the lining of the chest cavity, vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels).

Diagnosing Lupus Takes several months to years No single test to show lupus. Must rule out by doing several tests Some tests that can narrow it down are: –Certain blood autoantibodies, biopsy of skin or kidneys, syphilis test, complete blood count over several months, complements, urinalysis, Chest X- ray, antinuclear antibody. complements measures the blood level of a group of proteins.

Treatment No cure Patients have treatment options that are specific to each individual. –These include a variety of drugs Manage stress, exercise, don’t smoke, healthy diet, avoid direct sunlight.

Common Drugs Prednisone (glucosteroid) Oxycontin (corticosteroid) Methatrexate (trexall) Coumadin NSAIDs Antimalariais Immunosuppressive

Alternative Treatments Fish oil – these supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids that may be beneficial. Flaxseed - contains a fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid, which may decrease inflammation in the body.

What to expect in the field We’ll never diagnose Lupus. Only way to tell is if the patient tells you. –Calls might include stroke, chest pain, TIA, seizures, SOB, general pain. Be extremely cautious when transporting due to: –Osteoporosis, allergies to latex, veins that collapse easily and a myriad of allegries to different drugs.

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