DR FAITH BYISRAEL

As a health educator, I've had to learn about a wide range of diseases. After seeing a lupus awareness month post from a friend recently, I recognised that I didn't know anything about lupus. Here is what I've learned about this disease since then.

Lupus Awareness Month

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, May has been designated as Lupus Awareness Month. This year the theme is Let's Make Lupus Visible, with an aim of rallying 'family, friends and community to raise funds and awareness of the invisible physical, emotional and financial impact of lupus.' On May 21, individuals were encouraged to wear purple to health make Lupus visible.

What is lupus?

According to the Mayo Clinic, lupus is a disease that 'occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs (autoimmune disease). Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems, including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments. The most distinctive sign of lupus is a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks, and it occurs in many but not all cases of lupus.

Some people are born with a tendency toward developing lupus, which may be triggered by infections, certain drugs or even sunlight. While there's no cure for lupus, treatments can help control symptoms.

Symptoms of lupus

Lupus looks different in different people. Signs and symptoms may develop slowly for some, but rapidly for others; mild for some but severe for others; and temporary for some but permanent for others. The signs and symptoms each person experiences are dependent on the part of the body affected. The most common include:

• Fatigue

• Fever

• Joint pain, stiffness and swelling

• Butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose or rashes elsewhere on the body

• Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure

• Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during stressful periods

• Shortness of breath

• Chest pain

• Dry eyes

• Headaches, confusion and memory loss

What causes lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease. That means that your immune system sees and attacks healthy tissue in your body, thinking that they are foreign bodies like viruses or bacteria. According to the Mayo Clinic, 'It appears that people with an inherited predisposition for lupus may develop the disease when they come into contact with something in the environment that can trigger lupus. The cause of lupus in most cases, however, is unknown.' Some of the environmental factors that seem to trigger lupus include:

• 'Sunlight. Exposure to the sun may bring on lupus skin lesions or trigger an internal response in susceptible people.

• Infections. Having an infection can initiate lupus or cause a relapse in some people.

• Medications. Lupus can be triggered by certain types of blo

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