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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!
Who Gets Lupus?
This article is an extract from the ebook Freedom From Lupus!
Lupus in Women
With the overwhelming prevalence of lupus in women (over 90 percent of lupus patients are women), lupus is often known as a "woman's disease." Unfortunately women's diseases are often understudied and under funded. Still, there are some things common among women with lupus.
Many studies done on lupus focus on hormones. Female hormones have a great compatibility with lupus, as estrogen can promote autoimmunity with increased inflammation. Most cases of SLE develop in childbearing years when the production of estrogen increases, yet with SLE patients the hormone is metabolized differently. This difference can result in vaginal dryness or even vaginal ulcers associated with Sjogren's syndrome. Also, amenorrhea (lack of menstruation) can occur in 15 to 25 percent of female SLE patients between the ages of 15 to 45. Even irregular periods are not uncommon along with greater malaise and cramping during menstruation.
The studies linking estrogen and lupus pose questions for sexually active women who want to use the birth control pill. While most SLE patients use low estrogen birth control with little difficulty, they should be taken under a physician's close watch. Women seeking birth control should be in remission or have their lupus under control. They should also have minimal therapy requirements and have a doctor assess SLE activity. Finally, as birth control pills can often increase the incidence of blood clots, the SLE patient should have no risk factors for potentially dangerous clots.
Fertility in patients with lupus is no different unless the SLE is active and the person is unwell. Fertility can also be affected by medications like cyclophosphamide, which can render both males and females sterile. If women are on fertility drugs to get pregnant, the increased estrogen can induce a flare, so they should also be taken under a doctor's close watch.
Menopause is usually a good time for women with lupus, as symptoms and flares usually subside. However, women using hormone replacement therapy can sometimes have flares due to the increased estrogen, but they are more rare than flares induced by birth control pills. One major concern for menopausal SLE patients is osteoporosis. Between 30 to 50 percent of all SLE patients on long-term corticosteroids will experience a fracture if there is no subsequent treatment for osteoporosis. Bone mass density in SLE patients is greater than normal female patients.
Read the rest of this article in Freedom From Lupus!
© Health Research Today
