Understanding Lupus: FAQ's
With May being Lupus Awareness month, we wanted to shed some light and understanding to the topic of this incurable disease with no known cause.
What is Lupus?
Lupus is a long term, chronic autoimmune disease that affects different parts of the body causing pain and inflammation. The body's immune system attacks itself because it is unable to differentiate between healthy tissue and foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses.
Lupus most commonly affects your skin, joints, and the internal organs such as kidneys and heart.
Who does Lupus affect?
Lupus can affect anyone. Around 1.5 million people in the United States are living with Lupus. It can affect people of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds.
9/10 people with Lupus are women, however men can be diagnosed with Lupus too.
What are the symptoms of Lupus?
Lupus can show up as many different signs and symptoms and often imitates other diseases making it difficult to diagnose and can come and go as well as change over time. Due to its difficulty in precise diagnosis and with symptoms ranging anywhere from mild to life threatening, early diagnosis and immediate treatment is crucial.
Here are some common signs and symptoms:
- Headaches
- Sensitivity to Sunlight or bright fluorescent light
- Chest pain when breathing deeply
- Extreme exhaustion and fatigue
- Swelling in hands, feet, or around eyes"
- Low fevers
Other symptoms many people with Lupus have are:
- Hair loss
- Sores in mouth or nose
- Fingers and toes turn white and blue with feeling of numbness when cold or stressed
- Butterfly shaped rash on cheeks and nose
What happens if I get diagnosed with Lupus?
If you are diagnosed, your doctor should work with you towards a treatment plan. Although there is no cure for Lupus, there are ways to manage your symptoms through lifestyle changes and medications.
How do you treat Lupus?
Although there is no cure for Lupus, with regular doctors visits, long term, proper treatment and with healthier lifestyle choices, you should be able to live a longer, more manageable and comfortable life with less flare ups of symptoms.
A few changes to improve overall health and quality of life could look like:
- An increase in physical activity
- Eating healthier meals and avoiding foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats
- Quitting and avoiding smoking altogether
- Protecting your skin from excessive sun exposure
What medications are used to treat Lupus?
Due to the different types of symptoms affiliated with Lupus, there are multiple medications available for use such as:
Anti-Inflammatories/OTC pain relievers:
Helps to reduce inflammation and pain as well as relieve many of the symptoms of Lupus.
-Aspirin
-Tylenol (Acetaminophen)
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDs):
- Motrin (Ibuprofen)
- Naprosyn (Naproxen)
- Indocen (Indomethacin)
- Relafen (Nabumetone)
- Celebrex (Celecoxib)
Antimalarials:
Improves Lupus by decreasing the production of an autoantibody that protects against damaging effects of the suns ultraviolet lights and helps improve lesions on the skin.
- Aralen (Chloroquine)
- Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine)
Immunosuppressives:
Helps to control inflammation and an overactive immune system, especially when steroids are unable to control Lupus symptoms.
- Cytoxan (Cyclophosphamide)
- Rheumatrex (Methotrexate)
- Imuran (Azathioprine)
Where do I go from here?
Talk to your doctor. Seek help and treatment if you are experiencing any of the symptoms and are in need of medication and medical assistance. It's important to do your research to see what helps your particular situation as each individual with Lupus struggles and responds differently with lifestyle changes and treatment.
For the medications listed above, Canada Rx Connection is able to help by offering the most affordable prices as some of the medications can be quite expensive without local insurance coverage. If you are interested to see which prescription medications we have available please visit our product and pricing list: https://canadarxconnection.com/usp.php
