According to the American College of Rheumatology classification, lupus erythematosus has five psychiatric manifestations, including cognitive dysfunction, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, psychosis, and acute confusional state, which are frequently accompanied by other symptoms.
Lupus and its treatments can impair mental & emotional health. 80-90% of people with lupus. Neuropsychiatric lupus describes feelings of depression, headaches, and lupus fog — trouble thinking or remembering due to lupus. 25% of lupus patients experience major depression and 37% have major anxiety, research shows.
People with lupus may experience unpredictable changes in moods and personality traits. This can include feelings of anger and irritability. These may be related to the disease process or, in some cases, the use of corticosteroid medications.
About 12 percent of people with lupus will develop psychosis at some time in their illness. Doctors believe this happens when lupus attacks the delicate structures of the: Central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) Peripheral nervous system (the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord)
The most frequent NPSLE manifestations are headaches, psychiatric disorders (depression and anxiety), and cognitive dysfunction. Neuropsychiatric symptoms can be among the earliest manifestations of SLE, and some reports suggest up to 40% of neuropsychiatric symptoms appear during the first year of SLE diagnosis [7].
Lupus and the central nervous system
Symptoms include: Confusion and trouble concentrating (sometimes called lupus brain fog) Seizures (sudden, unusual movements or behavior) Stroke (blocked blood flow in the brain that causes brain cells to die)
If your brain is affected by lupus, you may experience headaches, dizziness, behavior changes, vision problems, and even strokes or seizures. Many people with lupus experience memory problems and may have difficulty expressing their thoughts. Blood and blood vessels.
People with lupus can have cognitive symptoms, like having a hard time thinking clearly or remembering things. This is also called “brain fog” or “lupus fog,” and it often comes and goes over time. In some people, lupus fog can be present for many years.
How are lupus and PTSD linked? Having PTSD can increase your chance of developing autoimmune diseases, including lupus. According to studies, autoimmune diseases occur more often in people with PTSD. Research has shown that trauma changes the immune system.
Occasionally lupus causes an illness which is closer to schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder (manic depression). A very small minority of patients go on to develop a dementia syndrome, with loss of recent memory, personality change, speech and coordination problems.
Lupus flare-ups can be triggered by stress, infection, or missed doses of medication. To prevent a lupus flare, focus on your medication schedule, self-care, and sun protection. Hydroxychloroquine is the best medication to help prevent lupus flares.
The overall survival rates of the NPSLE patients were 89%, 85% and 84% at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively. The standardized mortality ratio of NPSLE patients was 11.14.
Research shows that stress can worsen lupus symptoms and trigger flares. Stress relates to the feeling of being overwhelmed. Under stress, the body secretes hormones like cortisol to trigger the fight or flight response. In instances of prolonged stress, the human body can be severely affected.
High-dose glucocorticoids and intravenous cyclophosphamide remain the cornerstone for patients with severe symptoms that are thought to reflect inflammation or an underlying autoimmune process. Rituximab, intravenous immunoglobulins, or plasmapheresis may be used if response is not achieved.
In general, a brain MRI will show more lesions with MS ("black holes and bright spots") but sometimes the brain lesions found with lupus or MS can be indistinguishable.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with a wide range of clinical presentations resulting from its effect on multiple organ systems. There are four main types of lupus: neonatal, discoid, drug-induced, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the type that affects the majority of patients.
The term 'lupus fog' is used by many people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). On patient fora and websites, confusion, difficulty planning, loss of concentration, difficulty in articulating thoughts, and memory impairment are symptoms described in the context of this fog.
Lupus fog is often episodic, meaning that there will be periods of worsening and then a return to normal function. This cognitive dysfunction is usually not severe, and it usually does not progress to the level of severe forms of dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
Kidneys About one half of people with lupus experience kidney involvement, and the kidney has become the most extensively studied organ affected by lupus.
NPSLE is often a serious manifestation of lupus. The symptoms of NPSLE can be highly variable, ranging from mild non-specific symptoms such as headaches, “brain fog” and mild mood disorders, to rare and severe presentations.
Lupus is not a hereditary condition.