Lupus: symptoms diagnosis and treatments

This strangely named disease can cause endless problems that need careful medical monitoring

Achy and swollen joints, fever; skin rashes, fatigue. These are some of the typical symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic, inflammatory disorder of the immune system.

SLE is classified as an autoimmune disorder because the body’s immune system – which normally fights harmful bacteria and viruses – also attacks healthy tissue. Potential targets for attack include the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, heart and lungs. Most cases of SLE are mild, affecting just a few organs. SLE can, however, produce serious or life-threatening problems.

Other types of lupus

In Latin, lupus means wolf, and erythematosus means redness. Doctors who first described the disease thought its characteristic face rash looked liked a wolf bite. Rashes can also appear on the ears, arms, shoulders, chest and the palms of the hands. These visible changes reflect the widespread inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis) occurring throughout the body. The terms `SLE? and `lupus? are often used interchangeably, but there are several other kinds of lupus, including:
Cutaneous lupus, or discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), which affects the skin only. DLE lesions are patchy, crusty, sharply defined skin plaques usually on the face or other sun-exposed areas. (Well-defined lesions can usually be treated by corticosteroid creams, but more widespread areas may need to be treated with antimalarial drugs.) DLE occasionally progresses to the more severe SLE.

Drug-induced lupus, which does not generally affect the kidney or central nervous system and usually goes away when the drug is discontinued. Drugs shown to induce lupus in some patients include procainamide (used for heart rhythm abnormalities), hydralazine (used for high blood pressure), isoniazid (used for tuberculosis), quinidine (used for heart rhythm abnormalities), phenytoin (used for convulsive disorders) and chlorpromazine (used to treat schizophrenia).

In general, women are far more likely than men to develop autoimmune disorders, and SLE certainly fits this ‘rule’. It is six to ten times more common in women than men. Although lupus can develop at any age, it is usually diagnosed in women during their childbearing years.

If you have a parent, child or sibling with lupus, your risk of developing the disease is somewhat higher, although your doctor probably won’t test you for the disease unless you develop symptoms. There is no known cure for SLE, but treatments do exist.