By: Brittany Sutton

Sw 201

Lupus: What is it?• Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune

disease that can cause damage to any part of the body.

-Skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body, and blood cells.

Since this disease is chronic, those who have Lupus will experience the symptoms of it for many years even with the use of medication.

*www.lupus.org

Who Does Lupus Effect and How Often?

• Primarily a disease of young women. • Occurs from infancy to old age, with peak

occurrences between the ages of 15 and 40.• Females are affected far more than males.• Blacks (and possibly Hispanics, Asians, and

Native Americans) are affected more than whites. • Although there is a strong genetic connection, the

disease is relatively uncommon and most cases of Lupus are very sporadic.

• There are currently 1.5 million people in the U.S who have some form of Lupus.

*www.cdc.gov, www.alr.org

What does it do to the Body?

• Lupus is a disorder of the immune system known as an autoimmune disease.

• The immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs, turns against parts of the body that it is designed to protect.

• A healthy immune system produces proteins called antibodies and specific cells called lymphocytes that are there to help fight against infection.

• The most common type of autoantibody that develops in people with Lupus is called an antinuclear antibody (ANA) because it reacts with parts of the cell’s nucleus (command center).

Cont...

*http://www.niams.nih.gov/

What does it do to the Body cont...

• In Lupus, the immune system produces autoantibodies against the body’s healthy cells and tissues which then contribute to the inflammation of various parts of the body and can cause damage to organs and tissues.

• Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including your: -Joints-Skin -Kidneys-Heart-Lungs-Blood vessels-Brain.

Symptoms of Lupus

• Some of the most common symptoms of Lupus are: – Painful or swollen joints and muscle pain– Anemia– rashes on the face (often referred to as a butterfly rash)– Dizziness, Depression, and Confusion– Unusual loss of hair– Pale or purple fingers or toes from cold or stress (Raynaud's

phenomenon)– Sensitivity to the sun– Mouth ulcers– Swollen glands– Extreme fatigue.

How serious each case of symptoms are depends on the person and often varies.

Lupus Diagnosis

• Getting diagnosed with Lupus can be a lengthy process. It can take anywhere between months to even a few years before a person gets diagnosed with the disease.

• Doctors will review your entire medical history, your family's medical history, complete physical examinations, and perform numerous lab tests such as a complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, urinalysis, blood chemistries, antinuclear antibody tests, a skin biopsy, and a kidney biopsy.

*www.niams.nih.gov

Incidence of Lupus

• It has been found that national incidence data for Lupus are difficult to obtain because onset of the disease is difficult to determine.

• Existing estimates range widely, from 1.8 to 7.6 cases per 100,000 persons per year in parts of the continental United States.

*www.niams.nih.gov

Morbidity of Lupus

• Treatment of lupus has improved, and people with the disease are living longer. But, it is still a chronic disease that can limit activities.

• Quality of life can suffer because of symptoms like fatigue and joint pain. Furthermore, some people do not respond to some treatments.

• Also, you may not be able to predict when lupus will flare. Such problems can lead to depression, anger, loss of hope or loss of the will to keep fighting.

• Presently there is no cure for Lupus but the disease can be effectively treated with drugs allowing most people to still be able to live healthy and active lives.

*http://www.rheumatology.org/ cont'

Morbidity of Lupus cont...

• Lupus is currently treated with:-Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Aleve, Advil or Motrin-Antimalarial drugs-Corticosteroids and-Immune suppressants

• According to the CDC, there is no national health cost estimated at this time for those living with Lupus.

*http://www.mayoclinic.org

Lupus Mortality

• From 1979 to 1998, the annual number of deaths with lupus as the underlying cause increased from 879 to 1,406.

• Death rates increased with age, among women, and among blacks. Death rates were highest and increased the most over time among black women aged 45-64 years.

• Causes of death are mainly active disease, organ failure (such as the kidneys) , infection, or cardiovascular disease from accelerated atherosclerosis.

• With current research, it is showing that at this same time, survival has been improving, suggesting that more or milder cases are being recognized.

*www.cdc.org

Refences

• http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/lupus.htm• http://www.lupus.org• http://www.lupusresearch.org/• http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/

lupus/basics/treatment/con-20019676• http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Lupus/

default.asp#Lupus_7• http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/

patients/diseases_and_conditions/lupus.asp