October is Lupus Awareness Month

Well, since I caused quite a stir with my “Michael Jackson Diagnosed with Lupus” post, I figured I would add this as a nice companion piece. It is, after all, Lupus Awareness Month.

Not many people know what Lupus is even though about 1.5 million Americans suffer from it. So I breakdown some simple explanations for the disease here.

WHAT IS LUPUS?

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can be fatal. The immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. SLE can affect any part of the body, but most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and nervous system. The disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remission. While there is currently no cure, many people with Lupus lead long lives.

MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS:

1. Joint pain or swelling
2. Skin Rash
3. Malaise or fatigue

OTHER SYMPTOMS:

1. Hair Loss
2. Ulcers or legions
3. Inflammation of stomach or intestines
4. Seizures or psychosis (rare)

CAUSES:

Genetics
Environmental triggers
Drug reactions
Non-SLE forms of lupus
Clearance deficiency
Accumulation in germinal centres (GC)

(Which basically means to avoid getting Lupus you need to not take drugs, stay in a giant bubble all your life, or just not bother being born…I had to toss a joke in).

CELEBRITIES DIAGNOSED WITH LUPUS:

Michael Jackson, singer/songwriter

Millie, dog of former President George H. W. Bush

Caroline, sister of Howie D. of the Backstreet Boys

Mercedes Yvette, Season 2 America's Next Top Model runner-up

Leslie Hunt, singer and former American Idol semifinalist

Seal, singer, whose characteristic facial scarring is due to the disease

Also, you might want to check out this site: www.wehavelupus.com. It seems like a good forum for people with questions, people newly diagnosed, or people suffering from the disease that just want to talk to others.

And I really dig the Symptom Solver at iVillage: http://solver.ivillage.com/symptomsolver.