Saturday, July 7, 2012

An Introduction To Lupus

By Jerri Lundell


Lupus is an autoimmune illness characterized by acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues of the body. Autoimmune diseases are conditions that occur when the body's tissues are attacked by its very own immune system.

The immune system is a complex system within the body that is designed to combat infectious agents, such as bacteria and other foreign microbes. One way that the immune system fights infections is by producing antibodies that bind to the microbes.

Individuals with lupus generate abnormal antibodies in their blood that target tissues within their own body rather than foreign infectious agents. These antibodies are known as auto antibodies .

Because the antibodies and accompanying cells of inflammation can affect tissues anywhere in the body, lupus has the potential to impact a variety of places. Sometimes lupus could cause disease of the skin , heart, lungs, kidneys, joints, and/or nervous system.

When just the skin is involved, the illness is referred to as lupus dermatitis or cutaneous lupus erythematosus. A kind of lupus dermatitis that could be isolated to the skin, without internal disease, is called discoid lupus. When internal organs are included, the condition is known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Both discoid lupus and systemic lupus are more prevalent in ladies than males (about 8 times more common ). The illness can affect all ages but mostly starts from 20-45 years of age. Statistics demonstrate that lupus is somewhat more common in African Americans and people of Chinese and Japanese descent.

What can cause systemic lupus erythematosus? Is lupus inherited?

The particular cause for the abnormal autoimmunity that causes lupus is not identified. Inherited genes, viruses, uv light , and particular medications may all play some role.

Genetic factors increase the tendency of getting autoimmune diseases ,and autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and autoimmune thyroid problems are more common among relatives of people with lupus than the over-all population . Some experts believe that the body's immune system in lupus is more easily triggered by external factors like viruses or ultraviolet light. Oftentimes, symptoms of lupus can be brought on or aggravated by only a brief period of exposure to the sun.

It's also known that a few women with SLE can experience deterioration of their signs before their menstrual periods. This event, with the female predominance of SLE, shows that female hormones play a crucial role in the expression of SLE. This hormonal relationship is an active area of ongoing research by scientists.




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