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What 11 Common Criteria or Measures are used to diagnose Lupus?
Please subscribe to Lupus Comforts channel for more videos on Lupus.
Lupus is said to be a great imitator – the symptoms of lupus could often be mistaken to be symptoms of other illnesses like blood disorders, diabetes, heart disease, kidney, bone, or lung disease. Hence why it has become even more important to be aware of this invisible underlying autoimmune condition that you could be totally neglecting and only treating symptoms of other illnesses.
No two people have the exact signs or symptoms, but most lupus patients have these symptoms in common:
Just like the causes of lupus, the symptoms of lupus are also quite broad. I would say, you know yourself, you know your body, if you are experiencing something unusual in your body for a prolong period of time and there is no good explanation for it, then I suggest you be proactive and see your GP.
We are all in the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic and I am sure you must have heard that people with underlying health issues are at a greater risk. What does that actually mean for a person with an autoimmune condition such as lupus?
I have lupus which means that my immune system which is supposed to protect me from viruses and infections, is actually confused and is attacking my own healthy tissues and organs. My body is producing a lot of white blood cells which are hyperactive. To prevent my immune system from damaging my own healthy tissues, I have to take immunosuppressant medications to say make it less hyperactive.
I take Azathioprine or Imuran and Prednisone as immunosuppressants in combination with an antimalarial medication called Hydroxychloroquine (mostly known as Plaquenil) which is widely used to treat lupus.
Do I boost my immune system against viruses and infections and let my hyperactive immune system land me on hospital bed with life threatening lupus complications? Or do I suppress my immune system for lupus and become more prone to everyday viruses and infections and end up being seriously ill. I can’t win in either case. To fight off this coronavirus I need to have a strong immune system but for lupus my immune system is purposefully “drugged” to be lethargic.
This is why people with autoimmune condition such as lupus are at a higher risk of catching this coronavirus because most of us are on immunosuppressant medications.
You must have heard that Hydroxychloroquine (or Plaquenil), was said to be preventing, treating or curing coronavirus. According to COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Registry, this is not true and there is on-going research on this.
Also, if you have an underlying health condition or autoimmune condition such as lupus, then please be pro-active into identifying symptoms of sars-cov2. Lupus and coronavirus symptoms overlap so please pay extra attention to your body if you start experiencing fatigue, muscle pain, fever and at the same time dry cough, shortness of breath, loss of smell or taste, chest pain, etc.
For people with lupus, we should be strictly protecting ourselves from catching coronavirus and everyone else should be strictly preventing spread of coronavirus.
For us lupus sufferers, we could take these measures to prevent ourselves from catching coronavirus:
For those of you with lupus, if you do contract coronavirus, then continue to take your prescribed lupus medications and contact your doctor immediately.
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There is no one known cause of lupus and no one knows why our immune system – our body’s army gets confused and starts attacking its own self. Many online articles suggest that lupus could develop in response to a combination of factors – it could be through exposure to medications, infections, and environmental factors. It could even be genetics or hormones.
Here’s a bit more information on the potential triggers of lupus:
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when our body’s immune system, which is our body’s defence mechanism, attacks our own healthy tissues and organs.
Normally our immune systems produce ‘antibodies’ which protects the body from infections and diseases, however, when our immune system is unable to differentiate between foreign invaders and body’s healthy tissues then ‘autoantibodies’ get created with attacks your healthy tissues and organs.
This causes inflammation and affects many different body systems like your skin, joints, blood cells, and organs such as brain, heart, lungs, and kidneys.
Currently there is no known cause of lupus and as a result there is no cure for lupus, however, medication and treatments can help control the symptoms of lupus. Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments.
I will discuss the causes, signs and symptoms in my upcoming videos and blog post, so please subscribe to my Youtube channel and blog post.
Once again stay tuned to learn about the different types of lupus and its effects through my Youtube channel and blog posts.
Hi there, I have created this page to raise awareness on an invisible chronic autoimmune condition called Lupus. In 2007, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) which has since changed my entire life.
For a very long time I was hiding my illness from everyone and tried to act like nothing was wrong with me. Most of this was out of denial, fear, shame, and even self-hate from thinking it must be ‘bad karma’ from my previous life. I would be in so much pain, yet I pretended to be all okay. No matter how much I wanted to be surrounded by my family and friends, I had shut everyone out of my life out of fear that no one would understand me if I told them about my condition or some would look down upon me or even make fun of my condition. I distanced myself from my loved ones because I did not want them to see me in pain and worry about me. I was leading a very lonely life which only added to my pain, sickness, depression, anxiety and self-hate.
Recently I had changed jobs and would spend nights wondering how would I explain about the various doctors appointments that I need to attend to – I don’t look sick, I don’t sound sick, my sickness is invisible! My professional work history would give no indication that I could be battling a chronic illness because I have always been a high achiever. Nevertheless, I entrusted my HR Manager and told her about my condition and I was pleasantly surprised as I felt she ‘got me’! Not only did I feel accepted, understood and supported, I started gaining self confidence and performing even better at work. That was the turning point for me.
I realized that I could have made my situation worse had I not shared with my HR Manager and work colleagues. I realized not many people know about lupus or invisible chronic illnesses. I realized life would be much better if us lupus sufferers spoke about our condition – yes, there are many people who would not believe us because our illnesses are invisible but there are many more people who would become aware and sensitive to our condition and needs. WE NEED TO EDUCATE PEOPLE!
Hence, it is with this aim, I have started my video and blog posts – to create awareness on invisible illnesses. I will share my experience of battling with lupus for the last 13 years and how painstakingly one day at a time I have learnt to accept my lupus condition, the lifestyle and career changes I have made, how doctors had given me 12 hours time to pull through my lupus flareup, how I have taken proactive steps to manage my condition, and how I have changed my attitude for my own self empowerment.
Also, I would like you to understand that it is not easy to talk about my lupus experience as it is very personal and discomforting. I am not opening up with my lupus experience to gain sympathy or complain about my life – its actually the opposite. I am sharing my experience to make everyone aware of the difficulties people like me face in their daily lives. I am sharing my experience to empower people like me to live a more fulfilling life. I truly believe that people in general are good at heart and would make an effort to support us if only they are made aware of our invisible sufferings.
Therefore, please subscribe to my YouTube channel – Lupus Comforts for hear my lupus experiences.
You can find out more about lupus on https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lupus/symptoms-causes/syc-20365789