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| *Women health>>>Lupus |
Please help with this question about lupus.....................? |
My sister was diagnosed with lupus 5 years ago and just last week, my other sister was diagnosed with lupus as well. The doctors at this moment are only 95% sure it's lupus, but even the doctor said it's suspicious. Is this possible to have lupus between sisters? And if you have any info on lupus, it would be greatly appreciated. Yes, in fact you are probably at risk as well. Autoimmune diseases have a tendency to run in families. What is systemic lupus erythematosus? Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE) is a chronic disease that can cause inflammation, pain, and tissue damage throughout the body. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, in which a person's immune system attacks its own tissues as though they were foreign substances. If you develop serious lupus, you may have problems with your kidneys, heart, lungs, or blood cells. Although some people with lupus have mild symptoms, the disease can become severe. For most people, ongoing monitoring and treatment can control symptoms and prevent serious organ damage. There are five types of lupus erythematosus: systemic, discoid/cutaneous, subacute cutaneous, drug-induced systemic, and neonatal. This topic focuses on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common and serious type of lupus. What are lupus symptoms like? Lupus symptoms vary widely, and they come and go. Common symptoms are fatigue, joint pain or swelling (arthritis), fever, and skin rash (especially with sun exposure). Mouth sores and hair loss may occur. Over time, people with lupus develop nervous system symptoms, most commonly migraine headaches. Periods of time when symptoms worsen are called relapses or flares. Periods of time when symptoms improve are called remissions. Lupus symptoms rarely disappear completely. I suggest looking on sites such as webmd for help. And you can go in to the rheumatologist to get some antibodies run on your own blood to check yourself. Good luck to both you and your sisters. Lupus may be hard to diagnose. It鈥檚 often mistaken for other diseases. For this reason, lupus has been called the 鈥済reat imitator.鈥?The signs of lupus differ from person to person. Some people have just a few signs; others have more. Common signs of lupus are: Red rash or color change on the face, often in the shape of a butterfly across the nose and cheeks Painful or swollen joints Unexplained fever Chest pain with deep breathing Swollen glands Extreme fatigue (feeling tired all the time) Unusual hair loss (mainly on the scalp) Pale or purple fingers or toes from cold or stress Sensitivity to the sun Low blood count Depression, trouble thinking, and/or memory problems Other signs are mouth sores, unexplained seizures (convulsions), 鈥渟eeing things鈥?(hallucinations), repeated miscarriages, and unexplained kidney problems. there is also a foundation called lupus of America. I have lupus and have had it since 1991 unfortunately or fortunately I don't have any sisters and I can't really give you an answer. All I can say is that it took 3/6 months including going to Boston to the Head of Lupus Society to finally be diagnosed. I have been lucky in that outside of pain (which you become used to after awhile) being tired all the time has gotten old. I wish you the best and be well. I try to think their are people in alot worse shape than me and get thru each day. Tell your sister's to contact the local Lupus or Arthritis Foundation for any support they may need. I heard the average time time get diagnosed for Lupus was eight years. It takes that an average of that long for the classic symptoms to appear in people. My advice to people is just to be very patient. And here is just one example of how confusing it can be. My co-worker had a butterfly rash across his face and his doctor thought for sure he had Lupus. Turned out to be erythema ab igne http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/300/cdn... Well, Lupus tends to run in women and in families. So, yes it is very possible for both of you to have Lupus. I have APS - the sister to Lupus. My mom and aunt has APS. Lupus is one of many disorders of the immune system known as autoimmune diseases. In autoimmune diseases, the immune system turns against parts of the body it is designed to protect. This leads to inflammation and damage to various body tissues. Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain. Although people with the disease may have many different symptoms, some of the most common ones include extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints (arthritis), unexplained fever, skin rashes, and kidney problems. At present, there is no cure for lupus. However, lupus can be effectively treated with drugs, and most people with the disease can lead active, healthy lives. Lupus is characterized by periods of illness, called flares, and periods of wellness, or remission. Understanding how to prevent flares and how to treat them when they do occur helps people with lupus maintain better health. Intense research is underway, and scientists funded by the NIH are continuing to make great strides in understanding the disease, which may ultimately lead to a cure. Two of the major questions researchers are studying are who gets lupus and why. We know that many more women than men have lupus. Lupus is three times more common in African American women than in Caucasian women and is also more common in women of Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent. In addition, lupus can run in families, but the risk that a child or a brother or sister of a patient will also have lupus is still quite low. It is difficult to estimate how many people in the United States have the disease because its symptoms vary widely and its onset is often hard to pinpoint. http://www.apsfa.org/lupus.htm i was diagnosed 10 years ago when i was 20 yrs old. it took years to finally get diagnosed. i had to go to a diagnostic clinic in santa barbara. they gave me 6 months to live, and hear i am. my great aunt has it, but very mildly. i have a more severe case. they arent quite sure whether or not its hereditary although my mom has ms which is also an autoimmune disease. since lupus is so hard to diagnose, have your sister see a specialist and have them do a complete panel. you may also want to see a rheumatologist and have some blood work done just in case. they might be able to start some sort of treatment in case your blood levels are elevated. with an illness like this, you want to be overly cautious only because it can creep upi on you and attack when you least expect it. and if they havent already done so, i suggest they get "the lupus book" by Dr. Wallace. it has been my guide through all of this. it will explain just about everything they will need to know. also, if they become a member of the lupus foundation, they will get updates and helpful materials. i wish all 3 of you and your family the best. i know this is hard to deal with. not just for the victim, but the family too. they have to be just as stron, maybe stronger than the patient. all the best, i hope everything works out for you. if either you or your sisters need to talk you can e mail me at dnasmom2003@yahoo.com. |
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