Red spots on the skin, butterfly shaped on the face, fever, joint pain and tiredness are symptoms that may indicate lupus. Lupus is a disease that can manifest itself at any time and after the first crisis, symptoms may manifest from time to time and therefore treatment must be maintained for a lifetime.
Generally black women are most affected and in addition to these symptoms may also be present hair loss in certain regions of the head, sores inside the mouth, red rash on the face after sun exposure and anemia. However, this disease can also affect the kidneys, heart, digestive system and cause seizures.
What is lupus
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the patient's immune system starts to attack the body's own cells, causing symptoms such as red spots on the skin, arthritis and sores on the mouth and nose. This disease can be discovered at any stage of life, but the most common type of lupus is diagnosed in women between the ages of 20 and 35.
When a suspected lupus is suspected, it is recommended to consult a rheumatologist because he or she needs to evaluate the symptoms and make blood or urine tests, for example, to help confirm the diagnosis.
Test to know if it can be Lupus
The following are the main symptoms of lupus and if you want to know your chances of having this disease, point out your symptoms:
- 1. Red spot shaped butterfly wings on the face, on the nose and cheeks of the face? Yes No
- 2. Several red spots on the skin that peel and heal, leaving a scar slightly lower than the skin? Yes No
- 3. Skin spots that appear after exposure to sunlight? Yes No
- 4. Small painful sores in the mouth or inside the nose? Yes No
- 5. Pain or swelling in one or more joints? Yes No
- 6. Episodes of convulsions or mental changes without apparent cause? Yes No
However, these signs and symptoms are not always sufficient to determine what lupus is, because there are other diseases, such as rosacea or seborrheic dermatitis, which can be confused with lupus. Therefore, the blood test is one of the most useful tools for the doctor to confirm the diagnosis and determine the correct treatment.
Exams to diagnose lupus
In this way, the exams requested by the doctor will complete the information necessary to determine the diagnosis in the case of lupus. In these cases, the changes that indicate the disease are:
- Excess protein in several urine tests followed;
- Decrease in the number of erythrocytes, or red cells, in the blood test;
- Leukocytes less than 4, 000 / mL in the blood test;
- Decreased number of platelets in at least 2 blood tests;
- Lymphocytes less than 1, 500 / mL in the blood test;
- Presence of native or anti-Sm antigen DNA antibody in the blood test;
- Presence of above-normal anti-nuclear antibodies in the blood test.
In addition, your doctor may also order other diagnostic tests such as chest x-ray or kidney biopsy to identify if there are inflammatory lesions in the organs that may be caused by lupus.
Who can have lupus?
Lupus can arise at any time due to genetic factors or due to the use of some medications, such as antibiotics or medicines for high blood pressure, for example.
However, the disease is more common in women, people between the ages of 15 and 40, as well as in patients of African, Hispanic or Asian race.
Is lupus contagious?
Lupus is not contagious because it is an autoimmune disease, caused by mutations in the body itself that can not be transmitted from one person to another.
