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Lupus

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The immune system orders the antibodies to attack itself. ... American College of Rheumatology (ACR) issued a list of 11 symptoms and tests to ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Lupus


1
Lupus
  • Caitlin RussellScience, Period 3January 1, 2002

2
What is Lupus?
  • An autoimmune disease
  • When your body attacks itself
  • Your body can not tell the difference between
    foreign materials (antigens) and its own cells
    and tissues.
  • The immune system orders the antibodies to attack
    itself.
  • The auto-antibodies react with the bodies own
    antigens. This reaction forms immune complexes
    which build up.

3
What Causes Lupus?
  • Cause unknown, but suspect
  • Genetic factors
  • Environmental factors

4
What Causes Lupus? (contd)
  • Genetic causes
  • Hereditary, but no known gene to cause it
  • Some people more genetically prone to Lupus
  • 5 of children with parents who have it develop
    Lupus
  • 10 of Lupus patients have a close relative with
    it too
  • Chromosomes 1 and 6 associated with Lupus in
    certain families

5
What Causes Lupus? (contd)
  • Environmental causes
  • Infections
  • Antibiotics
  • Ultra-violet light
  • Extreme stress
  • Certain drugs

6
Symptoms of Lupus
  • Flares are common
  • Periods where symptoms are intense, then die down
  • Most common symptoms
  • Achy joints
  • Occurs in 95 of Lupus patients
  • Fever more than 100 degrees F
  • 90
  • Arthritis
  • 90
  • Prolonged or extreme Fatigue
  • 81

7
Symptoms of Lupus (contd)
  • Skin rashes
  • 74
  • Anemia
  • 71
  • Other symptoms
  • Kidney involvement, pain in chest, deep
    breathing, butterfly shaped rash on cheek and
    nose, sun or light sensitivity, hair loss,
    abnormal blood clotting, Raynauds phenomenon,
    seizures, mouth and nose ulcers.

8
Diagnosis of Lupus
  • Difficult to diagnose Lupus
  • Lupus symptoms mirror other diseases symptoms,
    and Lupus symptoms often come and go
  • No single lab test to diagnose Lupus
  • American College of Rheumatology (ACR) issued a
    list of 11 symptoms and tests to help diagnose
    Lupus patients.
  • A person with Lupus experiences at least four of
    these symptoms or prove positive to at least 4 of
    these tests. The symptoms do not have to occur
    at the same time though.

9
Three Kinds of Lupus
  • Discoid
  • Systemic
  • Drug-induced

10
Discoid Lupus
  • Affects only the skin
  • Symptoms
  • Rashes
  • On face, neck, and scalp
  • Diagnosis
  • Examining a biopsy of the rash
  • Diagnosed when biopsy shows that the skin without
    the rash contains things that are not normal.

11
Discoid Lupus (cont.)
  • 10 of Discoid Lupus patients develop Systemic
    Lupus also.
  • Can not be prevented or predicted
  • Treatment of Discoid Lupus will not prevent
    Systemic Lupus from developing

12
Systemic Lupus
  • Most severe and common type of Lupus
  • Can effect any part of the body
  • Symptoms
  • All symptoms apply
  • Diagnosis
  • Observing medical history and symptoms
  • Using the list made by the ACR
  • Blood tests

13
Drug-Induced Lupus
  • Cause
  • By taking certain drugs
  • Hydralazine
  • Procainamide
  • Do not have to take drugs to get DI Lupus
  • Symptoms
  • Similar to Systemic symptoms
  • Diagnosis
  • The List of 11 symptoms by ACR
  • DI Lupus usually stops after they stop taking the
    drug

14
Interview of a Lupus Patient
  • How old were you when you got Lupus? And what
    kind of Lupus do you have?
  • I was diagnosed with Discoid Lupus when I was 36.
    I had a sun sensitive spot that was red and
    itchy on my forehead. A biopsy indicated Lupus,
    and I was told to stay out of the sun. My doctor
    also ran a test for systemic Lupus later. It was
    for antinuclear antibody, and it came back
    positive. The specialist didnt think I had
    systemic Lupus because I didnt have the
    symptoms. When I was 50 I was finally diagnosed
    with systemic Lupus. My specialist then said
    there had been indicators of Lupus

15
Interview of a Lupus Patient
  • since childhood. I had my thyroid removed when I
    was 15 an inflamed thyroid, and my first baby was
    premature. These are both symptoms of Lupus.
  • Why did suspect you had Lupus? How does it effect
    your daily life?
  • I was seeing my doctor for strept throat which I
    was tested for three times during a six month
    period and each came back negative. They found
    out I was anemic and put me on iron (which didnt
    help). I was exhausted and was seeing a
    dermatologist because my arm was broken out from
    Lupus. I started to have pain in my throat and
    upper chest. This was from pleurisy.

16
Interview of a Lupus Patient
  • They took more blood tests which pointed to
    Lupus. Also, my symptoms were those of Lupus.
    They sent me to a Lupus specialist who did more
    blood tests and put me on Prednisone. They did a
    test to see if Lupus would attack my major
    organs, and luckily, it came back negative.
  • Do you know how you got Lupus?
  • There is a possibility that it is a result of a
    genetic weakness, but it may also have been
    triggered by a severe reaction I had to a rabies
    vaccine when I was in my early 20s

17
Interview with a Lupus Patient
  • What are some of your most common symptoms?
  • The symptom that bothers me most is fatigue (from
    anemia). I have to take blood tests every two
    months. I also have stiff joints, a common
    symptom, but it may be from osteoarthritis, not
    Lupus. I have to adjust my daily activity Level
    so I dont do too much in one day. I teach three
    days a week know instead of fulltime. I have to
    be careful about getting enough sleep. If I begin
    to get a cold, I take time off because it takes
    me longer to recover from illnesses. I have to
    work hard on being healthy because of this.

18
Interview of a Lupus Patient
  • What kind of medications do you take?
  • I take Plaquenil which is an anti-malarial drug
    that fights fatigue. I also take Advil when I get
    stiff. I used to take Prednisone, but I dont
    have to anymore because my disease isnt as
    severe anymore as it used to be.
  • Is there any research being done to find a cure
    or better treatment for Lupus?
  • There are many groups doing research on the
    immune system which is a link to autoimmune
    diseases like Lupus. Also, since Lupus seems to
    attack mostly women, there are many groups trying
    to find a link between hormones and Lupus.

19
The End
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