FAQ Lupus

Lupus may be hard to diagnose. It's often mistaken for other diseases. For this reason, lupus has been called the "great imitator." The  signs of lupus differ from person to person. Some people have just a few signs; others have more. Many of these symptoms occur in other illnesses. In fact, lupus is sometimes called "the great imitator" because its symptoms are often like the symptoms of  rheumatoid arthritis ,  blood disorders , fibromyalgia, diabetes, thyroid problems, Lyme disease, and a number of  heart ,  lung ,  muscle , and  bone  diseases. https://resources.lupus.org/entry/common-symptoms The most common symptoms of lupus (which are the same for men and women) are: Extreme fatigue (tiredness) Headaches Painful or swollen joints Fever Anemia (low numbers of red blood cells or hemoglobin, or low total blood volume) Swelling (edema) in feet, legs, hands, and/or around eyes Pain in chest on deep breathing (pleur...

I am providing more than one answer to the question.  Some of these answers my not be written in simple language. But to summarize, Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting all parts of the body (skin, joints, and organs).  What is lupus? Lupus Foundation of America December 6, 2017 Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs). "Chronic" means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years. In lupus, something goes wrong with the immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs ("foreign invaders," like the flu). Normally our immune systems produce proteins called "antibodies" which protect the body from these invaders.  "Autoimmunity" means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues ("auto" m...

I am 68 years old male and just have been told I have Lupus. My only symptom is the butterfly rash (Malar rash). I have heard of Lupus but the disease is really unknown to me.  I have found a lot of information on Lupus and decided to create this blog to consolidate a lot of information in one location. I like the blogger formation where I can post a FAQ and the reader can provide his comment.  All the information I will be posting will be from other website and is most likely copyrighted.  I will post the links and give the authors the credit for his works and if anyone objects to his works being posted, please let me know and I will remove the information. I will start off with the basis FAQ about what is Lupus and it symptoms.  I will then post information about treatment.  Since there is no cure for Lupus people will have to live with the disease and i will post information about coping and the struggles people have with living with Lupus.