What you need to know about lupus
Every May 10th, World Lupus Day is commemorated, a date that seeks to raise awareness about this disease which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), affects more than five million people worldwide.
The main objective of this commemoration is to promote social awareness, improve medical diagnosis and treatments, and promote epidemiological studies that allow us to measure its global impact.
From the Serena del Mar Hospital in Cartagena de Indias, we discussed several key aspects of this pathology with Dr. Luis Carlos Guzmán, a rheumatologist, who explained that Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which our own immune system, for various reasons, fails to recognize certain body structures as organs. This results in a variety of signs and symptoms described by the patient, depending on the affected organ.
Risk Factors
Lupus is a multifactorial disease that includes a genetic predisposition, meaning that some people have a higher probability of developing the disease.
This, combined with environmental factors, such as prolonged exposure to sunlight, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption, contributes to its development. Other less frequent risk factors include an inadequate diet and/or a sedentary lifestyle.
Symptoms
According to Dr. Luis Carlos Guzmán, a rheumatologist at Hospital Serena del Mar, the symptoms of lupus are highly varied, broad, and nonspecific; they can range from fever, unexplained weight loss, and skin lesions (mainly on the face and extremities) to joint pain and inflammation.
There are other symptoms that are not as specific and manifest depending on the affected organ. For example, when the kidneys are affected, lupus patients may experience foamy urine.
Treatment
Treatment for lupus is highly variable due to the wide range of its manifestations. Therefore, the approach is tailored to the specific symptoms presented by each patient.
This may include topical management for patients with mild skin manifestations, while those with more severe joint or skin involvement may receive oral medications and, in some cases, intravenous medications.
Most cases of lupus occur in women, which is explained by the predominance of certain hormones. Pregnancy in women diagnosed with lupus should be addressed before conception. If the condition has been controlled for at least a year, or six months prior to conception, the pregnancy is very likely to proceed to term without major complications.
