Here’s why you should know more about lupus
Published:Wednesday | October 12, 2022 | 12:09 AMKeisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer
Lupus is a chronic long-term disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of your body. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that your immune system, the body system that usually fights infections, attacks healthy tissue instead.
No one knows what causes lupus, but lupus and other autoimmune diseases do run in families. Experts also think it may develop in response to certain hormones (like estrogen) or environmental triggers. An environmental trigger is something outside the body that can bring on symptoms of lupus or make them worse.
The Lupus Foundation of Jamaica has launched Lupus Awareness Month in Jamaica as the foundation prepares to increase its awareness promotion of the autoimmune disorder. This year’s celebration will be recognised under the theme, ‘Lupus Level Up: This is Lupus’, and will consist of a month-long outreach targeting 1.2 million people.
Lupus Awareness Month will include events, community engagement, a comprehensive social media campaign and the dissemination and sharing of medical information by professionals. According to Dr Desiree Tulloch-Reid, president of the Lupus Foundation of Jamaica, there is presently no cure. However, treatments are available to control the disease. These treatments suppress the overactive immune system and so limit the damage that it causes.
“Talk to your doctor if you have lupus symptoms. Lupus is a chronic disease with no cure. This means that you can manage it with treatment, but it will not go away. Treatment can help improve your symptoms, prevent flare-ups, and prevent other health problems often caused by lupus. Your treatment will depend on your symptoms and needs,” Tulloch-Reid said.
Lupus, she added, can present itself in different ways in different people, hence it is often referred to as the disease of many faces. “In some persons it presents in a way that is easily recognised because of issues that more easily point to lupus. In other cases, it is not so obvious. Less specific issues may arise that could have many causes such as fatigue, fevers, a low blood count or even mood disorder,” she said.
Tulloch-Reid said there is no such test as a ‘lupus test’. This diagnosis, she said, requires careful consideration of all the findings to recognise pattern. “In some persons, various symptoms or manifestations may appear gradually over time so that it can take a long time to confirm the diagnosis which can be frustrating,” she said.
According to her, lupus can be hard to diagnose because it has many symptoms that are often mistaken for symptoms of other diseases. “Many people have lupus for a while before they find out they have it. If you have symptoms of lupus, tell your doctor right away,” she said.
Dr Tulloch-Reid said although medicines are important in controlling lupus, you can help manage your symptoms and reduce the risk of it getting worse.
‘You can learn to pace yourself to avoid getting too tired, try to stay active even on a bad day, try relaxation techniques to manage stress, which can make symptoms worse,” she said.
BALANCED DIET
“You can wear a hat in the sun, tell your employer about your condition (so that) you might be able to adjust your working pattern, ask for help from family, friends and health professionals, and eat a healthy, balanced diet, including vitamin D and calcium,” Dr Tulloch-Reid added.
Lupus symptoms can range from mild to severe. Lupus often flares up (relapses) and symptoms become worse for a few weeks, sometimes longer. Symptoms then settle down (remission). The reason why symptoms flare up or settle down is not known. Some people do not notice any difference and their symptoms are constant.
Most people with lupus can expect to a live long, healthy life. The leading causes of death in people with lupus are health problems that are related to lupus, such as kidney disease, infections, and heart disease.
“Take your medicine as your doctor tells you to and make healthy choices, such as not smoking, eating healthy foods, getting regular physical activity, and managing your weight,” Dr Tulloch-Reid said.