Mga tao, if you don't know, one of our batchmate is suffering this sickness. Please help her. She needs blood, any blood type will do, pwede namang ipapalit sa blood bank, if ever hindi kau pareho ng blood type. She also needs prayers. Pray for her fast recovery.
I want to inform you a little about this sickness. Hindi siya rampant, pero a little information will help us to prevent this from happening to us, and also to understand her situation.
Lupus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that can affect virtually any system in the body. Think of it as a 'self-allergy' where the body attacks its own cells and tissues, causing inflammation, pain, and possible organ damage.
So few have heard of it, yet worldwide it's seen as more common than leukaemia, multiple sclerosis & muscular dystrophy.
Over 30,000 people have the disease in the UK of whom 90% are female. Men & young children can also be affected by lupus. The ratio of women to men(who are affected) being 9:1.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, a type of self-allergy, whereby the patient's immune system creates antibodies which instead of protecting the body from bacteria & viruses attack the person's own body tissues. This causes symptoms of extreme fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches, anaemia, general malaise, & can result in the destruction of vital organs. It is a disease with many manifestations, & each person's profile or list of symptoms is different. Lupus can mimic other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis & rheumatoid arthritis, making it difficult to diagnose.
Currently there is no single test that can definitely say whether a person has lupus or not. Only by comprehensive examination and consideration of symptoms and their history can a diagnosis be achieved.
Lupus is neither infectious or contagious.
Lupus can be triggered-
·at puberty
·during the menopause
·after childbirth
·after viral infection
·through sunlight
·as a result of trauma
·after a prolonged course of medication
The symptoms:
These may include -
-extreme fatigue
-joint/muscle pain
-eye problems
-depression
-mouth ulcers
-facial or other rashes
-miscarriage
-hair loss
-anaemia
-fever
-possible involvement of the kidneys, heart, lungs & brain
There is no cure...
People diagnosed with lupus normally remain under medical care with continuing medication. Many symptoms have less impact as a result, but side effects can often occur. Lupus can adversely influence the lives of those who suffer the illness, their families & friends.
SLE - Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
...hard to say - harder to live with...
More Facts:
-There is currently no single test that can definitely say whether a person has lupus or not.
-There are three different types of lupus - Discoid(cutaneous) lupus, Systemic lupus & Drug-induced lupus.
-In approximately 10% of cases of discoid lupus, it evolves & develops into systemic lupus.
-There are various factors thought to trigger the onset of lupus, or cause lupus to flare, these include - UV light, certain prescription drugs, infection, certain antibiotics, hormones, & possibly stress.
-Approximately 95% of lupus patients have a positive ANA test.
90% of lupus sufferers are female.
-Only about 30% of lupus sufferers actually have the classical 'butterfly' rash that is associated with lupus.
-Approximately 10% of lupus patients actually have drug-induced lupus. Drug-induced lupus is usually less severe than SLE & will disappear after the patient stops taking the particular drug.
-Drugs that have definite proof of an association with drug-induced lupus include - Procainamide (Procan or Pronestyl), Hydralazine (Apresoline or Apresazide), Isoniazid (INH), Quinidine, & Phenytoin (Dilantin).
The widely used acne drug Minocycline, has been shown to cause drug induced lupus symptoms.
Drugs known to exacerbate lupus or increase the risk of allergic reactions in people with lupus, include some antibiotics (sulfa, tetracycline)
-The term 'lupus' was derived from the Latin word for wolf in an effort to describe one of the disease's most recognisable features, the rash on the cheeks that suggests a wolf-like appearance.
The technical name for the disease we know of as lupus was first applied to a skin disorder by a Frenchman, Pierre Cazenave, in 1851, though descriptive articles detailing the condition date back to Hippocrates in ancient Greece.
-Between 1895 & 1903, the great physician William Osler clearly identified that internal organs may be involved & that lupus could take on a 'systemic' form.
In 1948, a pathologist named Malcolm Hargreaves discovered the LE cell (Lupus Erythematosus cell), which was the first blood test used to help diagnose lupus. He found that 70-80% of patients with active SLE possessed these cells.
-During the 1950s, the LE cell was shown to be part of an antinuclear antibody (or ANA) reaction. This led to the development of other tests for autoantibodies.
80% of lupus patients develop the disease between the ages of 15 & 45.
-The treatment of lupus aims to suppress the overactive immune system & diminish any inflammation.
-The most commonly used treatments for lupus are NSAIDs (Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), Anti-Malarials (known as disease modifying agents), & steroids. These drugs can be used on their own or in combination.
-Occasionally immuno-suppressive drugs need to be used, these include Cytoxan, Azathioprine & Methotrexate.
-The most common sites for skin rashes in lupus patients are the palms, elbows & face. Often the rashes are subtle, eg. a faint pinkiness may appear around the cheeks & tips of the fingers or on the soles of the feet.
-Many lupus patients are very sun sensitive, & therefore need to cover up well when in the sun.
-Some lupus patients report of being affected by UV light, eg. from flourescent lights.
-There is no way of telling how long a flare will last. After the initial flare, some lupus patients go into remission & never have another flare, but some patients can be in a flare for years.
-Lupus patients are more likely to contract infections such as salmonella, herpes zoster & candida(yeast). Infections in lupus patients tend to last longer & require a longer course of treatment with antibiotics than infections in people who do not have lupus.
-Fatigue, malaise, sleep disturbances, myalgias, cognitive impairment & gastrointestinal symptoms are frequent in patients with lupus, & yet may occur in the absence of an obvious disease flare or abnormal blood tests.
-Fatigue, headache & cognitive dysfunction (memory, attention, concentration) are symptoms associated with central nervous system (CNS) involvement.
If you want to learn more, visit http://www.uklupus.co.uk/. I got them from this site.
I want to help her, and this is one of the ways I can... to inform you.
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