Lupus is a chronic inflammatory illness that can affect any region of the body that causes pain and inflammation.
The signs and symptoms inflame a variety of the body systems affected, which include the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs.
It’s an autoimmune illness, which means that instead of attacking harmful tissues, the immune system attacks healthy ones.
According to the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, the disease is a widespread disease in Nigeria, with over 100,000 cases identified each year.
Lupus
Again, the Lupus Foundation of America says 1.5 million people in the United States and at least five million people globally have lupus.
However, the disease can affect people of any age, but it is most commonly diagnosed in people between the ages of 15 and 45.
Based on a series of studies by researchers, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans are the races most often seen to have the disease with blacks at 40 percent; white, 38 percent; Hispanic, 15 percent; Asians, 5 percent; and Native American, 2 percent.
Read Also: Two arrested in Abuja for allegedly selling rotten chickens
Myths and Symptoms of Lupus
Lupus may be a serious disease, and the symptoms vary from person to person, making it difficult to diagnose. There are many beliefs and misconceptions that others may hold that affect treatment and diagnosis.
Some believe that the disease is a form of cancer, contagious and that only women get lupus, lupus only affects your joints, lupus eventually goes away, all false leads.
Lupus patients experience symptoms like moderate to severe joint pain, fatigue, rash, dry eye, shortness of breath, and fever. These can worsen and then get better on a regular basis.
Cure
Although there is no cure for the disease, there are therapies that can help manage symptoms. Such as getting enough sleep, practicing yoga and meditation, avoiding the sun, or medications that make one sensitive to sunlight, some patients are given steroid pills to help manage lupus, making healthy eating choices, and more.
Lupus is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms and signs are; often similar to those of other illnesses.
But a face rash that mimics the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks is; the most prominent indication of the disease. It occurs in many but not all instances of lupus.
Born
Some are born with the likelihood of having the disease, and it is often instigated by infections, some types of drugs, or something as simple as sunlight.
One of the many ways to aid in managing life with the disease includes; making changes in one’s lifestyle, such as sun protection to avoid skin lesions and food. Medications like anti-inflammatories and steroid injections are also used to address the illness
