Lupus is known to be a hazard, especially to women of childbearing age. Usually, it is advisable to see a doctor or medical expert if one develops a mysterious rash, constant fever, persistent ache or fatigue, as these may be signs of the sickness. Dr. Iba Mayele, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Clinic Galien, Kimironko, says lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks your own tissue and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems, including the joints, skin, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs. According to Dr. Kenneth Ruzindana, a consultant at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), also known as lupus, is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body. He notes that lupus is an autoimmune condition, which means that your body’s immune system attacks your tissues, thinking that they are foreign. This can lead to pain, swelling, and damage to organs, such as the kidneys. Mayele says, there are three main types of lupus, which are, the systemic lupus erythematosus, which is the form of lupus disease and can affect many parts of the systems of the body. A person with SLE may have mild or serious symptoms and it usually affects persons between the ages of 15 and 45. He points out another type, which is discoid lupus erythematosus, and this only affects the skin. A red, raised rash may appear on the face, scalp or elsewhere. “Drug-induced lupus is the third type, it refers to a form of lupus caused by the use of certain medication, the symptoms disappear when the drug is stopped,” he notes. Mayele says that lupus can occur in both men and women, although 90 percent of people diagnosed with the disease is women of the childbearing age — roughly 14 to 45. Ruzindana says the cause of lupus is not clear, and people with this illness often have disease flares, in which symptoms worsen, followed by a period of remission where symptoms improve. He indicates that lupus is mild in some people yet life-threatening to others. Treatments are available to reduce symptoms, sometimes doctors reverse the inflammation, and also minimize the organ damage that is associated with the illness. Mayele reveals that symptoms vary from person to person, and may come and go. Everyone with SLE has joint pain and swelling at some time. Some develop arthritis. SLE often affects the joints of the fingers, hands, wrists, and knees. He indicates that other common symptoms may include, chest pain when taking a deep breath, fever with no other cause, general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill-feeling, hair loss, mouth sores, sensitivity to sunlight, among others. For Ruzindana, a person with lupus probably inherits the risk from one or both parents, although symptoms don’t usually develop until young adulthood. Environmental, hormonal or certain medicines, can also cause lupus. He says symptoms of lupus can be caused by inflammation which can affect entire parts of the body. Other symptoms are caused by damage to a particular organ system. If the whole body is affected, some of the symptoms may be vague, like fatigue. Ruzindana indicates that some other organ-related symptoms could be, skin rash, easy bruising due to the decreased number of platelets and other clotting factors of blood. He adds that lupus can lead to both weight loss and weight gain. Unintentional weight loss is often due to decreased appetite, gastrointestinal diseases (such as conditions as constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, perianal abscesses, anal fistulas, perianal infections, diverticular diseases, colitis, colon polyps, and cancer). Weight gain in most cases is a result of salt and water retention, which is related to kidney diseases. editorial@newtimesrwanda.com
