Lupus – A silent killer among young women
/
Lupus – A silent killer among young women
A new study from researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles has found the autoimmune disease of lupus to be among the leading causes of death in young women. This finding has been published online in Arthritis and Rheumatology.
What is lupus?
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus, is one of the least understood, most difficult and complex conditions for a person to be diagnosed with. It affects around 5 million people worldwide with about 1.5 million being Americans. Lupus favors women 10 times more than men with it usually developing between the ages of 18 to 45. Lupus is also two to three times more prevalent among people of color, including African-American, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans.
Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease having the ability to do damage to any part of the body including the skin, joints, or organs. Autoimmune diseases are where the immune system is unable to tell the difference between a foreign substance and healthy tissue within the body. Antibodies, which the immune system naturally produces to help fight off antigens, will instead attack and destroy healthy tissue perceiving it as a foreign invader.
New study on lupus
To gather the information on lupus, researchers looked at mortality statistics from the CDC to determine the relative burden of SLE-related deaths among women. From 2000 to 2015, there were 28,411 female deaths in the U.S. that had SLE recorded as the underlying or contributing cause of death. Overall, SLE ranked as follows:
· The 10th leading cause of death in the 15- to 24-year age group
· 14th in 25- to 34-year and 35- to 44-year age group
· 15th in 10- to 14-year age group
After three common external injury causes of death (unintentional injury, homicide, and suicide) were excluded from the analysis, SLE ranked among black and Hispanic females as:
· The 5th leading cause of death in the 15- to 24-year age group
· 6th in the 25- to 34-year age group
· 8th to 9th in the 35- to 44-year age group
The findings from this study demonstrate that lupus is a concerning public health issue and stresses the need for more funding to be dedicated to lupus research. Since lupus typically is found primarily in women of younger ages, they are at a greater risk for more severe and life-threatening consequences of this disease.
Symptoms and complications of lupus
The vast majority of the general public has little knowledge on lupus. The symptoms of lupus are far-ranging and often mimic those of other diseases, making it a challenge for doctors to make a diagnosis and treat it. People with lupus can experience a wide variety of ailments from skin rashes and hair loss to cardiovascular disease, strokes, and kidney failure.
The diagnosis of lupus is based on eleven criteria by the American College of Rheumatology. If a person has four or more of the eleven criteria, they should consult with a rheumatologist:
· Butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose
· Scaly disk-shaped rash on face, neck, ears, scalp, and chest
· Sunlight sensitivity
· Mouth sores, tongue sores, and inside nose sores
· Arthritis pain in joints
· Pain in chest and side when breathing or moving
· Kidney problems
· Neurological problems
· Anemia or low white blood cell count
· Immune system malfunction
Most people will start with their primary physician for consulting on a diagnosis but is it is a rheumatologist who should be the one to develop a treatment plan. Rheumatologists are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disease and systemic autoimmune conditions commonly referred to as rheumatic diseases
To find out more information on lupus, visit lupus awareness month website and The Lupus Foundation of America.