“A Guide to Understanding Lupus”

 

WHAT IS LUPUS? Lupus is a lifelong disorder of the immune system. Immune cells attack the body's own healthy tissues, leading to inflammation and tissue damage. Symptoms may be limited to the skin, but more often lupus also causes internal problems such as joint pain. In severe cases, it can damage the heart, kidneys, and other vital organs. Although there's no cure, there are treatments that can minimize the damage.

LUPUS SYMPTOM: JOINT PAIN - Joint and muscle pain is often the first sign of lupus. This pain tends to occur on both sides of the body at the same time, particularly in the joints of the wrists, hands, fingers, and knees. The joints may look inflamed and feel warm to the touch. But unlike rheumatoid arthritis, lupus usually does not cause permanent joint damage.

LUPUS SYMPTOM: BUTTERFLY RASH - A tell-tale sign of lupus is a butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and bridge of the nose. Other common skin problems include sensitivity to the sun with flaky, red spots or a scaly, purple rash on various parts of the body, including the face, neck, and arms. Some people also develop mouth sores.

LUPUS SYMPTOM: NAIL CHANGES - Lupus can cause the nails to crack or fall off. They may be discolored with blue or reddish spots at the base. These spots are actually in the nail bed, the result of inflamed small blood vessels. Swelling may also make the skin around the base of the nail look red and puffy.

LUPUS SYMPTOM: FEVER AND FAIGUE - Most people with lupus experience some degree of fatigue. In many cases, it is severe enough to interfere with exercise and other daily activities. Most patients also run a low-grade fever from time to time. This unexplained fever may be the only warning sign in some people.

LUPUS SYMPTOM: LIGHT SENSITIVITY - Many people with lupus are unusually sensitive to the sun and other forms of ultraviolet light. A day at the beach may trigger a skin rash in areas exposed to sunlight and may worsen other lupus symptoms. Certain medications can make people with lupus even more sensitive to UV light.

LUPUS SYMPTOM: HAIR LOSS - The symptoms of lupus tend to come and go, and this includes hair loss. Patients may go through periods where their hair falls out in patches or becomes thinner all across the scalp. Once the flare-up is over, new hair is likely to grow back.

LUPUS SYMPTOM: RAYNAUD’S - Some people with lupus develop a condition called Raynaud's phenomenon. Their fingers and toes become painful, numb, and tingly in response to cold temperatures or emotional stress. This happens when small blood vessels spasm and restrict blood flow to the area. During an attack, the fingers and toes may turn white or blue. People can also have Raynaud's without having lupus or any serious health complications.

LUPUS OR SOMETHING ELSE? When lupus begins, it can look a lot like rheumatoid arthritis, which causes joint pain and swelling, or fibromyalgia, which causes fatigue and pain. One aspect that sets lupus apart is the combination of skin rashes with joint pain and fatigue. There are also lab tests that can help distinguish lupus from other diseases.

DIAGNOSING LUPUS: Diagnosing lupus can be tricky. The disease can mimic other conditions, and it often takes a different course in different people. Many people have it for years before developing tell-tale symptoms. Although there is no one test for lupus, certain proteins usually show up in a patient's blood. A blood test for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) can provide a critical clue. Other lab tests may check cell counts, kidney function, and clotting time. A tissue biopsy of an involved organ such as the skin or kidneys sometimes helps with diagnosis.

WHO GETS LUPUS? Anyone can get lupus. But it affects women 10 times more often than men. Aside from being female, your odds of getting the disease are higher if you are:

• African-American, Latino, or Asian
• Between the ages of 20 and 40
• Related to someone with lupus

TYPES OF LUPUS: When people say "lupus," they usually mean systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common and serious type. But there are other types. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus -- also called discoid lupus -- is limited to the skin and doesn't cause the organ damage that sometimes occurs with SLE. The most common symptom is a circular rash. Drug-induced systemic lupus causes temporary lupus symptoms in people who take certain medications.

MEDICAL TREATMENTS FOR LUPUS: There are ways to control the symptoms of lupus. These include corticosteroid creams for rashes and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for joint pain and fever. Antimalarial medications can help fight joint pain, ulcers, and rashes. Corticosteroids may also be given as pills. In severe cases, they can be given intravenously. People with severe lupus may benefit from drugs that suppress the immune system.

SELF-CARE FOR LUPUS: Making some changes to your routine can also help reduce lupus flare-ups:

• Cover up when you're in the sun.
• Don't smoke.
• Exercise regularly.
• Improve your stress management skills.

Also be sure to get plenty of rest. Some people with lupus need up to 12 hours of sleep a night.

LUPUS AND KIDNEY PROBLEMS: As lupus progresses, it can interfere with the body's organs. Up to three out of four people with lupus can develop kidney problems. These problems may not cause symptoms, though some people notice swelling in their legs or ankles. Most patients only learn about their kidney trouble when a urine test reveals blood or abnormal protein levels.

LUPUS AND HEART PROBLEMS: The most common heart problem linked to lupus is an inflammation of the sac around the heart. This may cause severe pain in the left side of the chest. People with lupus are also more likely to develop plaques that narrow or clog the arteries. This can lead to coronary artery disease. Other complications include heart valve disease and inflammation of the heart muscle. Call 911 immediately for chest pain, rather than trying figure out the cause yourself.

LUPUS AND LUNG PROBLEMS: The tissue surrounding the lungs becomes inflamed in about a third of people with lupus. This may lead to painful breathing, or chest pain, or it may not cause any symptoms at all. Sometimes lupus causes chest pain that is not related to the lungs or the heart. Instead, the pain comes from an inflamed chest muscle or rib joint. Any chest pain should be promptly evaluated by a doctor.

LUPUS AND DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS: Digestive problems are not common with lupus, but some people may experience belly pain, nausea, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, or inflammation of the liver or pancreas. This can be related to lupus itself or medications used to treat the disease. Some people tend to lose weight during lupus flare-ups.

LUPUS AND ANEMIA: Lupus and the medications used to treat it can contribute to anemia in some patients. This means the body has too few red blood cells, because it is not making enough, or red blood cells are being destroyed more quickly than they can be replaced. Symptoms include fatigue and shortness of breath.

LUPUS AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM: Lupus can trigger a wide range of problems with the nervous system, most commonly headaches. Mild memory problems are a less common complaint that may come and go over time. Some people with lupus have a greater risk for a stroke, and in rare cases, the disease can lead to seizures.

LUPUS AND MENTAL HEALTH: Depression and anxiety are a risk for people with lupus. This may be the result of the condition's affect on the nervous system combined with the emotional strain of coping with a chronic illness. Be sure to discuss any concerns about your mood with your doctor or other health care provider. There are highly effective treatments for depression and anxiety.

LUPUS AND PREGNANCY: Most women with lupus can get pregnant, though the condition increases the risk of complications during pregnancy. Because lupus symptoms come and go, the best time to get pregnant is when symptoms are at a minimum. Women who conceive when symptoms are in remission are less likely to have complications. Make sure your obstetrician knows you have lupus. Your medications may be modified and you may undergo extra monitoring to ensure a successful pregnancy.

NEONATAL LUPUS: Most babies born to women with lupus are entirely healthy. But in rare cases, the newborn of a mom with lupus may have neonatal lupus. This condition can cause a skin rash, anemia, or liver problems. The symptoms usually go away after a few months and don't cause permanent damage. However, some babies with neonatal lupus can be born with a serious heart problem.

LIVING WITH LUPUS: The fatigue and joint pain associated with lupus can make it more difficult to do your job or care for your children. You may have to cut back on activities or ask for help when symptoms flare up. But most people with lupus are able to continue with their usual activities.

OUTLOOK FOR LUPUS: Thanks to improvements in treatments for lupus, people with the condition are living significantly longer. The outlook for any given individual depends on how severe the disease is, and whether any vital organs are affected. But most people with lupus can expect to live a normal or nearly normal life span.

REVIEWED BY: Minesh Khatri, MD, WebMD on February 09, 2020

REFERENCES:

American College of Rheumatology web site.

Lupus Foundation of America web site.

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute web site.

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases web site.

S.L.E. Lupus Foundation web site.

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The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.
 
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The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.  

“27 Health Problems Linked to Low Vitamin D”

From depression to cancer, many conditions go along with vitamin D deficiency.

THE TRUTH ABOUT VITAMIN D: No doubt you've seen the headlines saying that not getting enough vitamin D may increase your risk of countless health woes. It's important to read those stories carefully, since links don't necessarily prove cause and effect. "There can be many other explanations for the associations observed," says JoAnn Manson, MD, PhD, chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts. "Several large-scale randomized trials of vitamin D are in progress, and they will provide conclusive evidence as to whether supplementation with moderate-to-high doses of vitamin D can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases." In other words, don't panic and start popping pills; do consult with your own doctor to be sure you're getting the nutrients you need. Read on for some of the health problems now linked to low vitamin D.    

OBESITY: Obese men, women, and children are 35% more likely to be vitamin D deficient than normal-weight people, and 24% more likely to be D deficient than overweight people, according to a 2015 meta-analysis. One possible explanation: A study published in 2000 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that obesity limits the body's ability to use D from both sunlight and dietary sources, since fat cells hold on to vitamins and don't release them efficiently. Translation: Obesity could actually make vitamin D deficiency worse.

DIABETES: People with diabetes or prediabetes have lower vitamin D levels than those with normal blood sugar, according to a Spanish study published in 2015 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The link held for folks across the BMI spectrum—in fact, both lean and morbidly obese people with diabetes or prediabetes had significantly lower D than their nondiabetic counterparts. The study's authors believe that vitamin D deficiency and obesity "interact synergistically" to increase the risk of diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

HEART DISEASE: Heart disease and vitamin D deficiency are known to go hand in hand; one sobering 2009 study found that subjects with extremely low levels of vitamin D were nearly three times as likely to die of heart failure and five times as likely to die of sudden cardiac death. However, experts say there isn't evidence of a direct link between higher vitamin D levels and lowering cardiovascular risk, so it's too soon to say if taking supplements might boost heart health.

LUPUS: Lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own organs and tissues, is frequently associated with vitamin D deficiency—in part because lupus patients are often advised to stay out of the sun (the source of 90% of our vitamin D), and may be prescribed corticosteroids, which are also linked to low levels of D. A recent research review suggested that correcting lupus patients' vitamin deficiencies might help to lessen the severity of their disease.

PRETERM BIRTH: In a study of more than 2,000 mothers-to-be, women with higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (an indicator of our bodies' vitamin D stores, measurable with a blood test) had a lower risk of giving birth before 37 weeks. The authors suggested that D could be having a protective effect by reducing bacterial infection in the placenta, which can cause preterm birth. In another study, researchers who examined data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project (a study of more than 42,000 women) reported that among nonwhite mothers, higher concentrations of 25-hydroxy D were associated with a reduced risk of birth before 35 weeks.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: In 2013, an international team of researchers examined data from 465 people with early-stage MS, an often-disabling autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system; they reported that higher levels of 25-hydroxy D measured at the onset of symptoms (and then 6, 12, and 24 months later) predicted a slower rate of disease progression. Subjects with higher levels of D had a slower increase in brain lesion volume, fewer new lesions, lower brain volume loss, and lower disability levels than those with low levels of D.

PMS: According to the Nurses' Health Study II, women between the ages of 27 and 44 with a high intake of vitamin D had the lowest risk of experiencing PMS symptoms. (The study found that higher calcium intake was also associated with lower PMS risk.) A 2010 pilot study suggested a connection between vitamin D levels and PMS for younger women as well. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen are still the first line of therapy for PMS symptoms, but researchers believe vitamin D supplements are a promising alternative.

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD): Vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including D deficiency, are extremely common for people with gastrointestinal health issues that affect their body's ability to absorb nutrients. Patients with active ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially those who take corticosteroids, are often deficient in D, a study in Digestive Diseases and Sciences suggested, and some researchers believe deficiency could have a role not only in increasing the risk of developing IBD but in determining the severity of a person's symptoms. 

ALOPECIA AND HAIR LOSS: Women with female pattern hair loss had significantly lower levels of vitamin D than those without hair loss, a study in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology found. The vitamin is crucial for hair cycling, and helps push hair from its resting phase to the growing phase. Turkish researchers found that patients with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that attacks follicles and can cause hair loss all over the body, had significantly lower levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D than folks without the condition, and the lower their D levels, the more severe their disease. 

INSULIN RESISTANCE: Insulin resistance, which leads to glucose buildup in the blood and type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, has been linked to vitamin D deficiency for quite some time; that said, researchers have yet to find that correcting that deficiency can correct the problem. A small study of Norwegian men and women found that vitamin D supplementation doesn’t improve insulin sensitivity in healthy people, and researchers in Iran found that vitamin D supplements had no effect on insulin sensitivity in pre-diabetic patients. 

ECZEMA: Research suggests that children with atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema, have more severe symptoms the lower their vitamin D levels. Indeed, eczema tends to worsen in the winter when the air is dry and we get less sunlight (a major source of D). Supplementing with D in pill form can improve eczema—or if you're looking for an excuse to vacation, one study found that Norwegian kids with eczema who were taken to a sun-drenched subtropical island for 4 weeks experienced relief from their symptoms that lasted for 3 months after they got back home.

TOOTH DECAY IN INFANTS AND TODDLERS: Vitamin D is crucial both to our dental health and the formation of our teeth in the first place—yet another reason taking prenatal vitamins is so important. A study in Pediatrics measured the blood levels of vitamin D in pregnant women, then checked the teeth of their babies at 1 year old. Researchers found that mothers of children with weak enamel and tooth decay had significantly lower vitamin D levels during pregnancy compared to moms of children with healthy teeth.

GUM DISEASE AND TOOTH LOSS: The sunshine vitamin has a key role in protecting our teeth as we age; in one study, older adults who took 700 international units (IU) of vitamin D (along with calcium) each day for three years were less likely to lose teeth than those who took placebo pills, even two years after they stopped taking the supplements. Researchers have also reported strong evidence that D deficiency is a risk for gum disease—and that it can worsen dental problems once we have them.

ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA: Studies have linked low vitamin D to abnormalities in brain structure, cognitive decline, and dementia. In a recent study in JAMA Neurology, which measured vitamin D and cognitive function each year in an ethnically diverse group of elderly patients (about half of whom had some form of cognitive impairment at the start of the study), lower levels of D were associated with accelerated cognitive decline. Research is now underway to determine whether or not supplements can offer hope for prevention and treatment. 

UTIs: Vitamin D helps prevent infection by helping our bodies produce natural antibiotics, and a study in Archives of Disease in Childhood found that D deficiency is a risk factor for urinary tract infections in children, especially girls. It's a bit too soon to call vitamin D the new cranberry juice, but low levels are associated with UTIs for adults, too; a study of women who suffered from recurrent UTIs found that they had lower levels of vitamin D than women who didn't.

FEMALE INCONTINENCE: Since vitamin D is critical for muscle strength, deficiency can contribute to weakness in the pelvic floor—that is, the hammock of muscles that supports the bladder, vagina, uterus, and rectum—and lead to urinary incontinence (as well as, potentially, fecal incontinence) in women, according to a 2012 research review published in International Urogynecology Journal. For women who suffer from poor bladder control, maintaining healthy levels of vitamin D could prove to be as important as performing pelvic floor exercises.

ASTHMA: According to a large Israeli study published in Allergy that tracked more than 21,000 adults with asthma, while people with asthma were no more likely to have low D than those in the general population, asthmatics who did have a vitamin D deficiency were 25% more likely to experience acute attacks and to need to see a doctor more frequently for their asthma. The study's authors say that their findings support the importance of vitamin D level screenings for patients with severe asthma—and that supplements could be necessary for those falling short.

SCHIZOPHRENIA: There's a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and this mental health disorder: In a 2014 review of 19 studies, researchers found that 65% of schizophrenia patients had low levels of vitamin D, and people with vitamin D deficiency were more than twice as likely to have schizophrenia. That correlation doesn't necessarily mean that deficiency causes schizophrenia. In fact, experts hypothesize that the reverse may be true, with schizophrenia causing people to make lifestyle and diet choices that lead to deficiency. 

DEPRESSION: Female college students who had low levels of vitamin D were more likely to have clinically significant symptoms of depression, according to a 2015 study published in Psychiatry Research. A larger meta-analysis of more than 31,000 research subjects, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found a correlation as well. There's hope that vitamin D supplements might help: A very small study presented to the Endocrine Society in 2012 found three women with moderate to severe depression experienced improvement in their symptoms after they received treatment for vitamin D deficiency. Experts have yet to prove vitamin D's effect on mood in large-scale clinical research—but if it can be confirmed, correcting that deficiency could make a whole lot of people a whole lot happier.

COLORECTAL CANCER: Researchers have known about a connection between vitamin D and cancer risk since the 1940s, when a researcher from the Medical College of Virginia demonstrated a link between latitude (which predicts our exposure to sunlight, our main source of D) and death from cancer. More recently, a 2011 meta-analysis that included more than 1 million study subjects found that greater vitamin D intake and higher vitamin D levels were linked to lower risk of colorectal cancer. On the other hand, a 2006 clinical trial as part of the Women’s Health Initiative found that women who took calcium and vitamin D supplements for an average of seven years had no reduction in colorectal cancer risk compared to those who took a placebo. More research is needed to shed light on these mixed results.

BREAST CANCER: Some recent evidence has suggested a link between higher levels of vitamin D and a lowered risk of breast cancer: one meta-analysis, for example, found that a small increase in vitamin D levels could reduce risk of postmenopausal women by 12%. Other studies, on the other hand, have found that blood levels of vitamin D have no link with breast cancer. A new randomized trial, the VITAL study, is looking at the effects of higher doses of vitamin D on both heart disease and cancer; those results will provide better answers about if and how it can impact risk. 

PANCREATIC CANCER: People with the highest vitamin D levels were 35% less likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those with the lowest levels, according to a 20-year study of nearly 120,000 people conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts. And in exciting news for this deadly form of cancer, researchers are currently studying how a modified form of vitamin D may help "deactivate" a certain type of cell that feeds pancreatic tumor growth, making tumors more vulnerable to treatment with chemotherapy. 

PROSTATE CANCER: Low levels of vitamin D were associated with more advanced, aggressive prostate tumors in biopsy patients in a 2014 study in Clinical Cancer Research; among African American men, low vitamin D was also associated with a higher risk of developing prostate cancer in the first place. A small pilot study from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston found that when prostate cancer patients received 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day for 60 days, 60% of them showed improvement in their tumors; another study is now underway to determine if those results can be replicated on a larger scale.

OSTEOPOROSIS: Our bodies rely on vitamin D to help absorb calcium and grow bones that stay dense and strong throughout our lives. In fact, more than 50% of women treated for bone loss have inadequate vitamin D levels. Accordingly, the National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends an intake of 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D per day for adults under the age of 50, and 800 to 1,000 IU for those over the age of 50 (the risk of osteoporosis increases with age).

RICKETS: Rickets, or the softening and weakening of bones in children, is usually caused by an extreme and prolonged vitamin D deficiency; children who are 3 to 36 months old are at highest risk because their bones are growing so fast. In the late 19th century, doctors realized that vitamin-D-rich cod liver oil helped to prevent and treat rickets in children; manufacturers added vitamin D to milk for the first time in the 1930s, and rickets has since become rare in the United States. When nutritional rickets is diagnosed, supplementation with calcium and vitamin D corrects most bone damage within a few months, sometimes within a few days.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all infants, children, and adolescents receive a minimum daily intake of 400 IU of vitamin D. 

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION: Vitamin D deficient men were 32% more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than men with higher levels, according to research presented at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Heart Association. The study authors say those findings reflect the effect that vitamin D has on vascular function, including vessels that carry blood to the genitalia. If additional research supports the link, measuring vitamin D levels could become a tool for assessing ED risk—and correcting deficiencies could one day become a treatment.

CHILDHOOD LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT: Women who had low levels of vitamin D at 18 weeks pregnancy had nearly double the risk of having a child with signs of language impairment at ages 5 and 10 compared to women with higher levels, according to an Australian study published in Pediatrics. The results don't prove that vitamin D causes those difficulties, but they do highlight its importance in fetal brain development; it's possible that prenatal vitamin D supplementation may reduce the risk of developmental language problems in children.

Lauren Oster, Health, March 15, 2016

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2Live  

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by Health Magazine, Health Magazine employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of Health Magazine, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.