Lupus symptoms: What is lupus, what are the signs?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means your body’s natural defence system starts to attack your body. It isn’t known what causes lupus, but it has been suggested that viral infections, certain medicines, and sunlight are possible causes. Lupus is often triggered by hormonal changes such as puberty, childbirth and menopause. Selena Gomez, Toni Braxton, Seal, and Kristen Johnston, all have lupus and Lady Gaga tested borderline positive for the illness in 2010.

What is lupus?

Lupus is a long-term health condition that causes a range of symptoms, from rashes and joint pain.

The condition, also known as systemic lupus erythematosus, is very difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are similar to those of other conditions.

You’ll be diagnosed via blood tests, x-rays and scans and regularly checked if you do have it.

You can’t cure lupus, but there are ways to improve the symptoms.

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The symptoms of mild lupus are joint and skin problems and tiredness.

Moderate cases of lupus will be expressed through inflammation of other parts of the skin and body such as your lungs, heart and kidneys.

Patients with worse symptoms might experience inflammation that severely damages the heart, lungs, brain or kidneys.

Lupus is life-threatening if you have a severe bout of it. However, the symptoms tend to come and go but lupus often flares up every now and then.

What triggers lupus isn’t known for certain, but it has been suggested that stress, overwork, and excessive sun exposure could cause flare ups.

Other triggers include emotional stress, infections, injury, and changes in medication.

However, some cases never settle down and symptoms are constant.

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If tiredness is a symptom for you, you should learn to pace yourself throughout the day.

However, it’s still important to stay active so continuous movement will help.

You should try relaxation techniques to decrease stress levels and improve inflammation.

A healthy diet packed with vitamin D and calcium will also manage the pain and other symptoms.