Photosensitivity, or increased sensitivity to sunlight, is common among people who have systemic lupus erythematosus, or lupus. Sun exposure can cause rashes (including the butterfly or malar rash) and lesions or trigger flare-ups of the disease that could affect internal organs, so it is important to protect yourself.
Photosensitivity is common in people with lupus: 40% to 70% of people with lupus will find that their disease is made worse by exposure to UV rays from sunlight or artificial light.
People with lupus should not stay in the sun for extended periods and should make every effort to avoid UV rays outside, which are at their peak between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Don't be fooled by an overcast day, because clouds don't filter out all of the sun's UV rays. Keep track of the time you spend in the sun.
Sun-sensitivity symptoms can show up several days or even a few weeks after heavy sun exposure. Only about one out of three lupus patients is sun-sensitive. If you don't know if you are, or are not, sun-sensitive, it's OK to try a little (early morning, late afternoon) exposure for a few minutes.
You may experience pain and stiffness, with or without swelling. This affects most people with lupus. Common areas for muscle pain and swelling include the neck, thighs, shoulders, and upper arms. Fever.
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.
Overwork and not enough rest. Being out in the sun or having close exposure to fluorescent or halogen light. Infection. Injury.
If you have lupus, you should avoid sun exposure, as this can lead to rashes, arthritis flares or even serious inflammation of your organs.
Exposure to certain factors in the environment – such as viral infections, sunlight, certain medications, and smoking – may trigger lupus. Immune and Inflammatory Influences.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), lupus does qualify as a disability if all conditions are met. Your lupus must affect two or more organs or body systems with severe symptoms in at least one.
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.
The hair at the front of your hairline might also be more fragile than usual and break off. Jagged, short hairs at the front of the scalp are collectively known as “lupus hair.” Hair loss is an early sign of lupus. If you get a diagnosis and treatment in time, you may slow the disease's progression.
Environments that may trigger lupus symptoms include those with: extreme heat. extreme cold. high wind.
For some people, living with and managing lupus can cause weight gain. Weight gain may also lead to worsening lupus symptoms and complications associated with obesity. Some potential causes of weight gain that relate to lupus may include: being a side effect of medications such as corticosteroids.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most common and most serious type of lupus. SLE affects all parts of the body.
Lupus can impact many different parts of your body. It can cause aches and pains, as well as serious complications to your major organs. Because lupus is an autoimmune disease, it causes your body to attack itself. This can lead to organ damage over time.
Kidneys About one half of people with lupus experience kidney involvement, and the kidney has become the most extensively studied organ affected by lupus.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease link—a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the body's own cells and organs. Kidney disease caused by lupus may get worse over time and lead to kidney failure. If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain your health.
With age, symptom activity with lupus often declines, but symptoms you already have may grow more severe. The accumulation of damage over years may result in the need for joint replacements or other treatments.
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.
No one test can diagnose lupus. The combination of blood and urine tests, signs and symptoms, and physical examination findings leads to the diagnosis.
The effects lupus may have in and around the eyes include: changes in the skin around the eyelids, dry eyes, inflammation of the white outer layer of the eyeball, blood vessel changes in the retina, and damage to nerves controlling eye movement and affecting vision.
Lupus often causes skin rashes, arthritis, mouth sores, sun sensitivity, hair loss, or kidney problems, but these symptoms don't show up in MS. Even when lupus affects your nervous system, its most common symptoms are migraine, personality changes, seizures, or stroke, but these aren't typical for MS.