Introduction: Lupus
Lupus: Lupus is an autoimmune disease affecting mostly women and causing various effects throughout different parts of the body. Its severity can range from very mild to extremely serious depending on which body organs are afflicted.
Lupus is difficult to diagnose and often misdiagnosed
unless there is a characteristic symptom such as
the butterfly-shaped rash over the cheeks.
There is no single definitive blood test for lupus
and doctors have to make the diagnosis based on a
variety of symptoms and diagnostic tests.
Lupus is one of a group of conditions with vague symptoms
such as fatigue or malaise,
and may need to be distinguished from
fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome,
Type 2 diabetes, depression, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis,
or various other conditions.
If the main symptoms are joint symptoms,
then various other causes of arthritis need to be considered.
Lupus: Lupus (also called systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE) is a disorder of the immune system which normally functions to protect the body against invading infections and cancers. In lupus, the immune system is over-active and produces increased amounts of abnormal antibodies that attack the patient's own tissues. Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, heart, nervous system, and blood vessels. The signs and symptoms of lupus differ from person to person, and the disease can range from mild to life-threatening. 1
Researching symptoms of Lupus: Further information about the symptoms of Lupus is available including a list of symptoms of Lupus, other diseases that might have similar symptoms in differential diagnosis of Lupus, or alternatively return to research other symptoms in the symptom center.
Misdiagnosis and Lupus: Research more detailed information about misdiagnosis of Lupus, failure to diagnose Lupus, underlying causes of Lupus (possibly misdiagnosed), or research misdiagnosis of other diseases
Treatments for Lupus: Various information is available about treatments available for Lupus, prevention of Lupus, current research about Lupus treatments, or research treatments for other diseases.
Causes of Lupus: Research more detailed information about the causes of Lupus, other possibly hidden causes of Lupus, or other general information about Lupus.
Statistics and Lupus:
Various sources and calculations are available in statistics about Lupus,
prevalence and incidence statistics for Lupus,
and you can also research other medical statistics in our statistics center.
Footnotes:
1. excerpt from NINDS Neurological Sequelae Of Lupus Information Page: NINDS
Last revision: June 2, 2003
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