Understanding Lupus and stay healthy Lupus disease is classified as an autoimmune disease, and it can affect different parts of the body. In most people it affects the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain. In the case of a normal healthy body, the immune system produces proteins called antibodies that are. These antibodies are used to protect the body against infections, viruses, bacteria and other foreign bodies. The duration of the foreign materials antigens.
What happens when the body is suffering from an autoimmune disease like lupus, is that the immune system becomes confused and can not tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissues. The immune system begins to manufacture antibodies and directed against itself, and these antibodies are called autoantibodies. Autoantibodies affect the body, causing inflammation, pain and damage in different parts of the body.
The main characteristic of lupus is generally regarded as inflammation. Inflammation in Latin term meaning "to burn" and is identified by pain, heat, redness, swelling and loss of function. This can occur inside or outside the body, or in some cases, or both.
They are considered the four main types of lupus: discoid, systemic, drug-induced and neonatal lupus.
Lupus type always affects the skin. It is characterized by a rash that appears on the face, neck and scalp. discoid lupus can be diagnosed by a biopsy of the rash and the achievement tests. The biopsy shows abnormalities that are not present in the skin without the rash. discoid lupus usually will not cause problems with internal organs of the body. About 10 percent of people diagnosed with this disease, discoid lupus can evolve into a more serious problem, and can affect any organ or body system. It is impossible to predict or prevent it. Unfortunately the treatment of discoid lupus will not hinder progress at this point. It is likely that people who experience this problem probably occurred throughout systemic lupus and discoid rash was the main symptom.
SLE is considered more severe than discoid lupus has been mentioned, because it affects almost all organs and organ systems of the body. It differs from person to person, because some people that the skin and joints may be involved. For others, the joints, lungs, kidneys, blood or other organs and / or tissues may be affected. The problem with the diagnosis of systemic lupus, is that generally there are no two people with systemic lupus symptoms identical. One of the most recognizable symptoms of systemic lupus, is that the individual may experience periods in which few (or all) the symptoms are evident called remission. Other times people will experience "flares", which is when the disease becomes more active.
Induced lupus may occur after the use of certain prescription drugs. One of the difficult things about this form of lupus is that the symptoms are similar to those of systemic lupus. The two drugs that are most associated with induced lupus are hydralazine and procainamide. Drug induced lupus is usually more common in men because they are given these drugs more often. However, it should be noted that everyone who takes these drugs or will develop this type of lupus. About 4 percent of people taking these drugs develop this type of lupus. So the symptoms usually fade when the medications are discontinued.
Neonatal lupus is a rare and serious disease that is acquired by the passage of maternal autoantibodies. This particular type of lupus can affect the skin, heart and blood of the fetus and newborn. The symptoms are associated with a rash that appears during the first weeks of life. This flush.
Posted on February 8, 2010.
