LUPUS (SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS - SLE)
As with the related autoimmune diseases, the cause of lupus is not known.
Lupus-like disease can be caused by drugs and exposure to some chemicals, but this will resolve when exposure ceases.
Lupus has been called ‘the disease with 1000 faces’. In early stages, it can mimic many minor illnesses. This makes diagnosis difficult. Patients can be frustrated by the length of time spent before a diagnosis is made.
Lupus has a prevalence of about 1 in 4000 of population. It is 9 times more common in women than men. It is 9 times more common in Afro-Caribbeans and Asians than in white patients. The people most affected are women of child bearing age.
Severe fatigue is the major symptom, with skin rash, sensitivity to ultra-violet light and generalised joint pain. Internal organs that can be affected include kidneys, lungs, heart and brain.
There is no cure. Treatment is limited to controlling symptoms. The disease commonly regresses and ‘flares’.
