Autoimmune diseases can cause severe damage to the human immune system. Any type of autoimmune disease causes the body’s immune system to weaken. The immune system is known as one of the main lines of defense the body has against fighting off foreign invaders. The body produces proteins that it eventually uses in order to fight off any viruses or bacteria. However, when an individual’s immune system is “autoimmune,” his or her body is unable to identify healthy proteins it produces. When this occurs, the body begins to attack healthy tissue, mistaking it for a virus or bacteria. Lupus also known to some as systemic lupus erthematosus is among one of these autoimmune diseases (WebMD). Lupus is an extensive autoimmune disease that can cause …show more content…
Lupus causes several symptoms depending on the severity of lupus. Some people may experience skin problems, which can involve symptoms such as rashes and blisters. Around two-thirds of people who are diagnosed with lupus will also develop rheumatoid arthritis. These individuals will most likely face symptoms such as sores in joints, neck, arms, or legs. These symptoms may also include intense pain, stiffness, and swelling at time may lead to permanent or temporary physical features. Another common symptom involves kidney disease or kidney failure. These symptoms that involve kidney problems generally occur with other great features such as fatigue, fever, or weight loss (Lupus Foundation of …show more content…
It is estimated that around 70 percent of those who have lupus develop systemic lupus. This type of lupus attacks and effects major organs such as the brain, kidneys, or heart. Cutaneous lupus is only found in 10 percent of individuals with the autoimmune disease. Cutaneous lupus affects the skin, rashes may occur near the face, neck or scalp of the patient (Las Vegas Review-Journal). Drug-induced lupus is rare and may develop from certain types of drug medication; these symptoms are fairly similar to that of systemic. Similar to cutaneous lupus, neonatal lupus is also uncommon among individuals with lupus. This form of lupus occurs in newborns whose mothers also have the disease. The symptoms usually lead to skin rashes. Fortunately, these symptoms most of the time cause only temporary damage (Lupus Foundation of
that cause dark red blotches on the skin, usually on the face). Laboratory tests are another consideration of diagnosis. Tests consist of anti-nuclear anti-body (ANA) counts and anti-topoisomerase (an enzyme that reduces super-coiling in DNA by breaking and rejoining one or both strands of DNA). High ANA’s and low anti-topoisomerases are found in patients with Raynaud syndrome. (Desai, 2003) “Patients with circulating autoantibodies, antinuclear antibodies, and anti-Scl 70 antibodies are at (an) increased risk of developing a connective tissue disease. Systemic sclerosis is the connective tissue disease most frequently associated with Raynaud’s phenomenon.” (Bowling, 2003) This syndrome is described as primary Raynaud phenomenon (PRP) if is not associated with another disorder and as secondary Raynaud phenomenon (SRP) if it occurs in association with another disorder.
There are two types of glomerulonephritis—acute renal failure (ARF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The ACF form generally develops suddenly as a result of an infection or illness, such as, group A streptococci bacteria, hepatitis, or in diseases such as lupus or HIV (Mathias, 2013). This type may require dialysis to replace renal function while it lasts, however, kidney function usually returns after the primary illness is treated. Many acute patients will not have any other complications as no permanent damage is done. Whereas CKD is found in a person that has had glomerulonephritis for months to years in some cases and may be asymptomatic until the kidney has become irreversibly damaged. ARF can evolve to become chronic if the glomeruli do not respond to
Lupus is inflammatory disease caused when the immune system attacks its own tissues and organs, and this inflammation affects many different body parts such as the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. Second is the Celiac disease and it is an autoimmune reaction from eating gluten, and it may lead to damage in the small intestine because this disease attacks the villi, the projections that line the small intestine for protection. The last example is Rheumatoid Arthritis, an inflammatory disorder in which affects many joints, mainly in hands and feet, and then causing your joints to painfully swell and possibly cause bone erosion.
Patients must exhibit 4 for the following: “malar rash, discoid rash on the cheeks, photosensitivity to sunlight, painless mucocutaneous ulcers, nonerosive arthritis of at least two joints, renal dysfunction evidenced as proteinuria or cellular casts, positive serum ANA, neurologic disorder such as seizures or psychosis, serositis as evidenced by pleuritis or pericarditis, hematologic disorders, and immunologic disorders” (Robinson, Sheets Cook, and Currie, p. 632). A patient that does not have four of the qualifying criteria for SLE will be labeled “incomplete” or “latent” SLE (Bernknopf, Rowley, & Bailey,
Celiac Disease is an inflammatory disease that destroys the lining of the small intestines and prevents the absorption of nutrients and vitamins into the system. The patients' health suffers; their digestive system is unable to process gluten foods that contain wheat, barley, and oats. The cause of this disease is unknown; however, environmental factors and a genetic predisposition are suspected.
Lupus is often hard diagnose because the symptoms mimic other disorders. The most distinctive sign of lupus is a butterfly shaped rash across the cheeks.
Usually your body produces antibodies to fight off invaders such as Viruses or diseases but since Lupus is an autoimmune disease; the immune system can’t tell the difference between foreign invaders and healthy tissues. There 3 types of Lupus Systemic Lupus (most common) which can affect any part of the body, Discoid Lupus which only affects the skin, and Drug induced Lup...
Mononucleosis is a viral disease that affects those usually between the age of ten and thirty-five, although a person at any age can get the disease. This disease found in mainly adolescents and adults seems to only occur in those who escaped the Epstein-Barr virus infection in childhood. It is also known as Glandular Fever, because it affects the lymph nodes in the neck, arm pits and groin. It can last anywhere from one to two weeks to six to eight weeks, some people suffer from mononucleosis for months at a time, but as an individual it depends on your personal recuperation time. Recuperation is a very slow process, which demands a lot of sleep and rest. Being sick for a length of time such as two weeks drains you of strength and energy and as well you lose a lot of your muscles. Balance can also become lost with such an illness, which requires time to develop.
Other lesions, such as eczema, body lice, insect bites, fungal infections, poison ivy, and various forms of dermatitis can make a person susceptible to this infection.... ... middle of paper ... ... The New York Times.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease. Normal immune system purposes are designed to defend our bodies from harmful bacteria, infections, foreign bodies etc.. People with lupus are unfortunate when it comes to immunity, because their immune systems attacks normal body tissue, and causes a terrible amount of inflammation. Lupus impacts numerous parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, blood vessels and even the brain. According to lupusresearch.org, women are more likely to have this disease than men. The website also informs us that African American women are two to three times at higher risk of being diagnosed with lupus than Caucasian women. Hispanic, Asian, and Native American women are also at a higher risk for lupus. What is even more alarming, is that major organ involvement, and grave varieties of lupus are found in African American and Hispanic women. Lupus is a...
The disease can either be active or in remission depending on whether the tissues are inflamed or not. There are no systems when Rheumatoid Arthritis is in remission. When it becomes active again, it is called a flare and all the symptoms come back. The main symptoms are: fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, aches in the muscles and joints, and stiffness. The stiffness usually occurs in the morning or after resting for a long time. The joints can also go red, swell and be painful because the joint lining is inflamed which causes extra synovial fluid to be produced and the joint lining tissue to get thicker. The early symptoms usually are in small joints of the hands and wrists, and they are pain and stiffness...
Did it ever occur to you that one day you’ll wake up sick and never get better? Well, 60,000 Americans find themselves fighting an autoimmune disease referred as Lupus. There are different types of Lupus, the most common form of Lupus is called Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. (S.L.E) This kind of Lupus causes internal inflammation to organs, joints, and tissue. Also, another type of Lupus is Discoid Lupus Erythematosus. (D.L.E) develops as a rash on the skin after being exposed to sunlight or fluorescent light. (“What You Should Know about Lupus,”n.d)
The symptoms of psoriasis differ from type to type, although inflamed, scaly lesions are present in all five types. The most common form of the disease, plaque psoriasis, is identified by small bumps that begin to grow and become scaly. These lesions flake easily, but removing these patches can cause the tender skin below to bleed. In the Guttate type, small, individual, red drops form. This type does not have as much scaling as plaque psoriasis. The drops usually clear up on their own, but may also reappear as a different form of psoriasis, usually plaque. Inverse psoriasis usually occurs in places where the skin folds, such as the genitals, breasts, armpits or the backs of knees. This type will appear red, yet it will be smooth and dry. Also, no scaling will occur. Pustular psoriasis is a type that's significantly more rare. It is also more painful. In this type, blisters filled with non-infectious pus appear within a few hours and then dry up and peel within another two days. Severe medical risks exist for those who have this particular form of psoriasis, due to its side effects; exhaustion, anemia, weight loss, fever, chills, rapid pulse rate, severe itching and muscle weakness. Even less common than pustular psoriasis is erythrodermic psoriasis. This type is...
Being all members of the human race surely we have all sympathized for the less fortunate; whether it was for what they had or what they didn’t. There is a condition that most have never considered, and probably have never heard of. Imagine big white and red spots that decorate every part of your body so that they can’t be hidden. On the inside you have a painful sinus infection and after a while a loss of peripheral nerve sensation so bad that your hands and feet go numb. You could go blind or you could loose your nose, ears, or even legs to amputation. Unfortunately the physical ailments are the best part. Throughout history leprosy sufferers have been cast off from society with as much concern that dead bodies are sent to graves.
One of the most common mysteries in the world is the development of autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease is when the immune system, which usually keeps your body healthy thinks that your healthy cells are antigens and attacks them. This is irony right? It is against properties of evolution for an immune system to attack itself causing sickness and possibly death if untreated. There are about 80 different types of autoimmune diseases, which usually have periods of little to no symptoms and worsening symptoms. What particularly creates confusion in the world is the autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, which affects almost about five million people worldwide.