People with lupus are at increased risk of developing infections. The most common infections for people with lupus include those of the respiratory tract, skin and urinary system.> Medical treatment for infection may be longer for a person with lupus than for the general population.
First, lupus itself can make infections occur more often. Lupus affects the immune system, which can sometimes limit the body's ability to fight bacteria, viruses and other microbes that can cause illness. This is because lupus can cause hyperactivity of certain immune cells.
In lupus, the body's immune system, which normally functions to protect against foreign invaders, becomes hyperactive, forming antibodies that attack normal tissues and organs, including the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, and blood.
Lupus causes inflammation throughout the body, which can cause problems in organs, including: Kidney damage that can lead to changes in kidney function, including kidney failure. This is called lupus nephritis. Seizures and memory problems due to changes in the brain and central nervous system.
additionally, research has shown that getting a flu infection can trigger lupus flares and increase the risk of hospitalization.
If you have an immunodeficiency disease, you get sick more often. Your infections may last longer and can be more serious and harder to treat. They are often genetic disorders.
People with lupus should avoid jobs that involve extreme physical labor or long periods of standing. Additionally, they should avoid jobs that require working in extreme temperatures or with hazardous materials, as these may worsen symptoms or cause flare-ups.
Stress, joint pain, and fatigue are common lupus symptoms. While rest is essential, moving your body regularly releases “feel good” hormones called endorphins. This can boost your mood and keep your stressors in check. Physical exercise can also lessen joint pain and prevent stiffness in the body.
Lupus nephritis tends to develop within 5 years of the appearance of initial lupus symptoms. The condition affects about 40% of people who have SLE and can lead to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in 22% of patients over a period of 15 years.
Having lupus can make everyday life challenging. When your lupus is active, symptoms like joint stiffness, pain, fatigue, confusion, or depression can make simple tasks difficult — and sometimes impossible. Since these symptoms aren't visible, the people around you may have trouble understanding how you feel.
Many people described the pain of lupus as similar to having the flu. This means having chills and bone-weary aches throughout your entire body. The pain can be numbing and leave you feeling drained of all energy. “I explain it to others as feeling like the flu: achy joints, muscles, bones.”
Who is at risk for SLE? SLE can affect people of all ages, including children. However, women of childbearing ages—15 to 44 years—are at greatest risk of developing SLE. Women of all ages are affected far more than men (estimates range from 4 to 12 women for every 1 man).
A typical sign of lupus is a red, butterfly-shaped rash over your cheeks and nose, often following exposure to sunlight. No two cases of lupus are exactly alike. Signs and symptoms may come on suddenly or develop slowly, may be mild or severe, and may be temporary or permanent.
People with lupus may be more likely to catch the flu, and more likely to have serious health problems if they catch the flu. That's because: Having lupus means that the body's immune system doesn't work correctly to protect you from illnesses like the flu.
During a lupus flare-up the most common complaints are of flu-like symptoms (with or without fever), fatigue, muscle and joint pains. Often symptoms are reported to be worse before a menstrual period and they are often thought to be just pre-menstrual tension.
Cold weather is one thing that can trigger and worsen your symptoms of lupus. Cooler temperatures can take a toll on most people, even if they don't have an autoimmune disease. It places additional stress on your body.
In some people, lupus will flare, become inactive (quiescent), and go into remission—this course of the disease may or may not occur regularly throughout their life. In other people, lupus will remain in a chronic (long-lasting) state of activity. Some people will have fairly frequent flares of illness.
It is vital that people living with SLE practice these habits along with getting 7-9 hours of sleep (a little more for children) in order to prevent lupus flares, limit fatigue, and keep the body's mechanisms healthy, especially the immune system.
The vast majority of people diagnosed with the condition will have a normal or near-normal life expectancy. However, some people with SLE are still at risk of life-threatening complications as a result of damage to internal organs and tissues, such as heart attack or stroke.
With close follow-up and treatment, 80-90% of people with lupus can expect to live a normal life span. It is true that medical science has not yet developed a method for curing lupus, and some people do die from the disease. However, for the majority of people living with the disease today, it will not be fatal.
People with lupus can experience significant symptoms, such as pain, extreme fatigue, hair loss, cognitive issues, and physical impairments that affect every facet of their lives. Many suffer from cardiovascular disease, strokes, disfiguring rashes, and painful joints.
A lack of sleep, poor diet, anxiety, or stress can often cause a person to feel sick. These factors can make a person more susceptible to infection and illness. However, always feeling sick can also signify pregnancy or chronic illness. When sick, a person may experience stomach discomfort and vomiting.
Viruses like the influenza (flu) and rhinovirus (common cold) tend to aggravate autoimmune diseases because they cause the immune system to flare in response to the virus. Symptoms like coughing, sneezing, sore throat, chills and fever are all symptoms of your immune system acting to fight the virus.