Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

...less medical jargon in a 'Quick Glance' format!

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder. It may affect the skin, joints, kidneys, and other organs.


Symptoms:
Symptoms vary from person to person, and may come and go. The condition may affect one organ or body system at first. Others may become involved later. Almost all people with SLE have joint pain and most develop arthritis. Frequently affected joints are the fingers, hands, wrists, and knees.

Inflammation of various parts of the heart may occur as pericarditis, endocarditis, or myocarditis. Chest pain and arrhythmias may result from these conditions.

General symptoms include:

Fever

Fatigue

General discomfort, uneasiness or ill feeling

Skin rash -- a "butterfly" rash over the cheeks and bridge of the nose affects about half of those with SLE. The rash gets worse when in sunlight. The rash may also be widespread.

Sensitivity to sunlight

Joint pain and swelling

Arthritis

Swollen glands

Muscle aches

Nausea and vomiting

Chest pain

Pleural effusions

Seizures

Psychosis

Additional symptoms that may be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus:

Blood in the urine

Coughing up blood

Nosebleed

Swallowing difficulty

Skin color is patchy

Red spots on skin

Fingers that change color upon pressure or in the cold

Numbness and tingling

Mouth sores

Hair loss

Abdominal pain

Visual disturbance

Blood disorders, including blood clots

Causes:
Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease. This means there is a problem with the body's normal immune system response. Normally, the immune system helps protect the body from harmful substances. But in patients with an autoimmune disease, the immune system can't tell the difference between harmful substances and healthy ones. The result is an overactive immune response that attacks otherwise healthy cells and tissue. This leads to long-term inflammation.

The underlying cause of autoimmune diseases is not fully known. Some researchers think autoimmune diseases occur after infection with an organism that looks like certain proteins in the body. The proteins are later mistaken for the organism and wrongly targeted for attack by the body's immune system.

SLE may be mild or severe enough to cause death.

SLE affects nine times as many women as men. It may occur at any age, but appears most often in people between the ages of 10 and 50 years. African Americans and Asians are affected more often than people from other races.

SLE may also be caused by certain drugs.


Treatment:
There is no cure for SLE. Treatment is aimed at controlling symptoms. Your individual symptoms determine your treatment.

Mild disease that involves a rash, headaches, fever, arthritis, pleurisy, and pericarditis requires little therapy. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) are used to treat arthritis and pleurisy. Corticosteroid creams are used to treat skin rashes. An anti-malaria drug called hydroxychloroquine and low dose corticosteroids are sometimes used for skin and arthritis symptoms.

You should wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen when in the sun.

Severe or life-threatening symptoms often require treatment by a rheumatologist and other specialists in the specific area. Corticosteroids or medications to decrease the immune system response may be prescribed to control the various symptoms. Some health care professionals use cytotoxic drugs to treat people who do not respond well to corticosteroids or who must use high doses of corticosteroids.

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...less medical jargon in a 'Quick Glance' format!