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A New Free Report - What Is Lupus?
This fascinating new report from UK-based publishing house Health Research Today answers some of the most-asked questions about this baffling disease :
- What is the medical definition of lupus?
- What are the symptoms of lupus?
- What tests are there for lupus? How do you get a diagnosis?
Fill in this form and we will send you the report immediately, which you are welcome to send on to friends or family!
What Is Lupus?
This article is an extract from the ebook Freedom From Lupus!
Discoid Lupus
Discoid lupus (DLE) has a much longer official name, "chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosis." Approximately 10 percent of lupus patients are diagnosed with DLE, which affects only skin that is exposed to sunlight. Most often it is diagnosed when the person comes up with a lupus rash, but does not fulfill the ACR requirements for systemic lupus. DLE usually appears during a person's mid-30's. Approximately 70 percent of DLE patients are female, and 75 percent are Caucasian.
Some DLE patients exhibit other SLE-like symptoms. For instance, 10 to 20 percent of DLE sufferers report aching joints. About 50 percent have positive ANA tests, and 20 percent have anemia. Approximately 50 percent have a decreased white blood cell count.
While DLE rashes can look similar to rosacea, fungal infections, sarcoidosis, and more, a skin biopsy will tell the difference. It is important for people with DLE to seek treatment early, as the lesions can progress causing scarring and, in some cases, skin cancer. Most DLE is treated by using sunscreen, antimalarials, and steroid creams. Generalized DLE only has a 10 percent chance of turning into SLE, while localized DLE rarely becomes SLE.
Neonatal Lupus
Neonatal lupus is lupus present at birth, and it is very rare. Only a few hundred cases have been reported since 1954. It is believed that neonatal lupus is caused through a transference of lupus cells via the placenta. Where neonatal lupus has been detected, 40 percent of mothers had SLE and 38 percent had no disease. 13 percent of mothers with neonatal lupus babies had Sjogren's syndrome while 9 percent had other autoimmune diseases1. The women who had no disease were found to carry the anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies, which can carry lupus.
The autoantibodies settle into the baby's heart and skin. Since the antibodies can settle in the heart tissue, there is an increased risk for myocardial dysfunction or congenital heart block. However, the risk of neonatal congenital heart block in lupus babies is only 1 to 2 percent of mothers with SLE. The risk is much greater for cutaneous lupus to develop. Yet cutaneous lupus is more treatable and has a very small mortality rate.
Read the rest of this article in Freedom From Lupus!
© Health Research Today
