Lupus - Ways It Can Be Treated!

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which is chronic i.e. lasts for years or more than at least six weeks and may affect any part or organ of the body. The immune system fights off viruses, bacteria and germs by producing proteins known as antibodies. Autoimmune means that due to some defect, your immune system is unable to differentiate between the healthy tissues in your body and foreign invader that harms your body; thus creating antibodies that destroy the healthy tissues. This causes inflammation and damage to various parts of the bodies, leaving the sufferer in excruciating pain. 

Symptoms:

1. Fatigue: Most of the people suffering from Lupus experience weariness and fatigue. People usually take afternoon naps to remedy this. However, this may lead to insomnia. Talk to a doctor to successfully cure this symptom.
2. Unexplained Fever: If you suffer from recurrent fever that hovers around 99 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit, visit the doctor as soon as possible since this is a sign of infection or inflammation.
3. Hair Loss: One of the most prominent symptoms of Lupus is hair loss or thinning of hair. You may find your hair looking brittle, thin and ragged, including the hair on your eyebrows, eyelashes and other parts of the body. 
4. Lesions or Skin Rash: Another prominent symptom is the butterfly rash that covers both the cheeks and the bridge of the nose and appears right before a flare up. This rash may occur all of a sudden or when exposed to the sunlight. Lupus also causes lesions and discoloration on various parts of the body due to exposure to sunlight or artificial light.
5. Pulmonary Issues: Lupus causes pleuritic chest pain due to painful inflammation in the lungs as well as the areas surrounding it such as diaphragm and lung blood vessels. This affects the patient's breathing process. Moreover, Lupus is also known to decrease the size of the lung also called the "Vanishing Lung Syndrome" that is identified by shortness of breath and chronic chest pain.
6. Kidney Inflammation: Most individuals suffering from Lupus tend to develop nephritis that is inflammation in the kidneys. It is imperative to visit the doctor if you have symptoms of Nephritis as it may cause end-stage renal disease (ESRD) if untreated.