Lupus is…
…a chronic (long-term) disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of your body. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that your immune system — the body system that usually fights infections — attacks healthy tissue instead. For some, lupus can be mild — for others, it can be life threatening. There’s currently no known cure for lupus. The good news is that with the support of your doctors and loved ones, you can learn to manage it.
- Lupus can affect your skin, joints, and internal organs like the kidneys and heart.
- Because lupus affects many parts of the body, it can cause a variety of symptoms.
Usually, people are referring to systemic lupus when they talk about it. However, there are four kinds…
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus
- Cutaneous lupus, a form of lupus that is limited to the skin
- Drug-induced lupus, a lupus-like disease caused by certain prescription drugs
- Neonatal lupus, a rare condition that affects infants of women who have lupus
Who’s at risk?
- Women ages 15 to 44
- 9 out of 10 people with lupus are women.
- Men are also affected by lupus. Men develop the same typical clinical manifestations of lupus as women, yet certain key symptoms may be more pronounced in men than in women. For example, when men with lupus have kidney involvement it tends to be more severe.
- Certain racial or ethnic groups — including people who are African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, or Pacific Islander
- People who have a family member with lupus or another autoimmune disease
What causes lupus?
Lupus is not contagious — you can’t catch it or give it to someone else like the common cold.
No one knows what causes lupus — but lupus and other autoimmune diseases do run in families. Experts also think it may develop in response to certain hormones (like estrogen) or environmental triggers. An environmental trigger is something outside the body that can bring on symptoms of lupus — or make them worse.
What are the early symptoms of lupus?
There is no one first sign or symptom of lupus. The early signs and symptoms of lupus are generally the same as the symptoms of lupus, including extreme fatigue, joint pain, or a butterfly rash. However, the early signs vary widely from person to person.
A doctor can help you with a diagnosis to determine if the symptoms you’re feeling could possibly be lupus. To help you, we created the Could It Be Lupus questionnaire. Answer the questions about yourself and your signs and symptoms, and then print out your answers to share with your doctor.
