7 Facts to Know About Lupus
May is lupus awareness month and here are a few facts that one must know about lupus. You may have it, get it or may know someone who lives with it. It always helps to know about a disease, so you can understand what a person with the disease goes through and can be of help when they need it. Knowing more about a disease also helps get rid of all the myths that surround a disease. Here are some facts to know about lupus.
1. Lupus is an autoimmune disease
Your body’s immune system is designed to protect you from foreign bodies. That is why you either sneeze or cry when you come into contact with dust. But when you have lupus, your body’s immune system gets hyperactive and start attacking the healthy cells in your body making you sick.
2. There are different kinds of lupus
The most common type is called the systemic lupus erythematosus, which affects many body parts. Other types of lupus are Discoid lupus erythematosus, that causes a skin rash that never goes away, subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus that causes skin sores in areas exposed to the sun, drug induces lupus- a form of allergy to certain medications and neo-natal lupus that is a form of lupus that affects new born infants.
3. Lupus damages many organs and parts of your body
Your joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain are some of the parts that can get affected when you have lupus.
4. A team of doctors must be consulted when dealing with lupus
Dealing with lupus is considerable work as it involves bringing in a lot of specialists and doctors. Some of the people and physicians you may have to deal with include, a family doctor, rheumatologists to treat arthritis and swelling, clinical immunologists, nephrologists, hematologists, dermatologists, neurologists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, nurses, psychologists and social workers.
