Lupus
Biology 621A
March 27/2014
Lupus is an unforgiving disease, that has 1000 faces. By definition Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease. It can harm any part of the body (skin, joints, and organs). The cause of Lupus is unknown, you can not catch lupus from another person. It is not a form of cancer and it is not related to aids.
A person with Lupus does not have an immune system that works normally, that acts to fight bacteria, viruses, injuries, and diseases. A person with lupus, their immune system will fight their own body, attacking their organs, as it perceives the organs to be the problem and will attack them the same way a healthy person's immune system will fight a virus.
Lupus is said to have 1000 faces because, there is no limit to symptoms of a person with lupus, every case is different, and vary from mild, to severe, and usually alternates between periods of activity and periods when the disease is mostly quiet.
One person with Lupus may have swollen knees and fever, another person may be tired all the time or have kidney trouble. Someone else may have rashes that come and go, and someone else could be prone to organ attacks, surgeries, and problems healing.
Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many parts of the body, including the kidneys, brain, blood vessels, lungs, heart, as well as other types of complications such as infection, Cancer, bone tissue death, and pregnancy complications. Lupus can cause serious kidney damage, and kidney failure is the leading cause of death to people with lupus. Someone whose brain is affected by lupus may experience headaches, dizziness, behaviour changes, hallucinations, and even strokes and seizures. Lupus may lead to blood problems, including anaemia and increased risk of bleeding or...