Since obesity can make it more difficult to cope with lupus, it is important for people with the disease to maintain a healthy weight. Low-impact exercise like walking, swimming, or gentle yoga can help.
Evidence notes that obesity can lead to decreased mental and physical functioning when an individual first receives a lupus diagnosis. Having obesity can also negatively affect the course of a person's condition, leading to a faster decline than others living with lupus.
Being overweight can make lupus symptoms worse and affect your memory and daily functioning. Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) is a chronic inflammatory disease that mainly affects women, especially women of color. In addition to lupus symptoms, many also struggle with their weight.
In general: Glucocorticoids (such as prednisone), which are often used to treat lupus, increase appetite; this can lead to weight gain. If you notice this, try to avoid overeating and stay active. If you have high cholesterol or triglycerides, you may be advised to change your diet to help manage this.
Lupus and the intestines
Lupus can rarely cause vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) in the intestines, sometimes called lupus enteritis. Symptoms include: Abdominal pain (pain in the belly area) Feeling very full or bloated.
In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, the frequency of obesity is similar to or higher than in general populations [1], with prevalence ranging from 28% to 50% [2,3].
Not to mention, fatigue is one of the most troublesome symptoms of lupus. Make sure you're getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night to keep your energy up. Build a support network. Build a support system of people you trust to help you cope with lupus symptoms and flares.
Your doctor may recommend one or a combination of the following: Hydroxychloroquine: an antimalarial drug that is effective for treating lupus-related arthritis and rashes. It reduces flares by 50 percent and may also help prevent blood clots.
“People with skin lupus can have a form of disease that leaves quite a bit of damage to the skin—scarring, pigmentation changes, enlarged blood vessels, and areas of atrophy. These can be permanently disfiguring if not treated with surgical modalities.
Kidneys About one half of people with lupus experience kidney involvement, and the kidney has become the most extensively studied organ affected by lupus. Lungs About 50% of people with SLE will experience lung involvement during the course of their disease.
Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because it has many symptoms that come and go and can mimic symptoms of other disorders or diseases. When speaking to your doctor about your symptoms, be sure to include symptoms that may no longer be present.
Talk to your doctor if you have lupus symptoms. Lupus is a chronic disease with no cure. This means that you can manage it with treatment, but it will not go away. Treatment can help improve your symptoms, prevent flares, and prevent other health problems often caused by lupus.
Exercise is important.
It has been demonstrated that exercise reduces fatigue in lupus patients.
Up to 80% of people with lupus say that fatigue is a primary symptom. About 40% of people with lupus have fatigue that's severe and doesn't go away. Just about everyone with lupus will struggle with fatigue at one time or another. Fatigue isn't the same as just feeling tired.
Experts aren't certain what causes the fatigue of lupus. In some patients it may be caused by fibromyalgia, a syndrome of widespread muscle pain and fatigue. About one-third of people with lupus have fibromyalgia. In other cases, the fatigue can be caused by another condition, such as anemia or depression.
Remember that rest is also needed to restore energy. Lupus patients will want to work towards a healthy tiredness where subsequent rest or sleep recharges the batteries, and more recovery obtained in this way should help to minimise lupus tiredness.
The sun is the main source of ultraviolet light and is enemy no. 1 for patients with lupus, because it can trigger the disease or trigger flares at any time in its development.
Eat an autoimmune-friendly diet
Because lupus is an inflammatory disease, focus on eating an anti-inflammatory diet, such as the Mediterranean diet or the DASH Diet. Providing your body with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients will help it fight back against flare-ups.
Lupus can cause serious kidney damage, and kidney failure is one of the leading causes of death among people with lupus. Brain and central nervous system. If your brain is affected by lupus, you may experience headaches, dizziness, behavior changes, vision problems, and even strokes or seizures.