Hey everyone.
How often do you think about Lupus?
I’m sure the topic doesn’t come up often around your dinner table.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease where your body’s immune system attacks your organs
and tissues.
It’s estimated that 5 million people worldwide have been diagnosed, 90% of whom are women.
Most people develop the disease between the ages of 15 - 44.
What’s even worse?
There’s no cure...
Let’s talk about 11 Signs of Lupus You Should Not Ignore.
Do you lose weight out of nowhere?
How do you explain strange rashes?
Will you begin losing hair?
We’re talking all that and more...
Hair Loss
If you have lupus, one of the most notable signs is your dramatic loss of hair.
It comes out in clumps.
Just imagine brushing and looking down to see a massive amount of hair in your brush.
That’s enough to make some people’s hearts skip a beat.
When you have lupus, your tissues become inflamed.
This results in areas around your body swelling up.
One of these areas is your head.
Over time, the skin of your scalp won’t be able to support hair follicles.
Your hair will then begin to fall out.
At first, it will happen slowly, with the rate of hair loss gradually increasing as
time goes on.
If the condition worsens, you may find that hair in your beard, eyebrows and even eyelashes
are disappearing.
The good news is that, if you undergo lupus treatment, you might just get some of that
hair back.
Swollen Joints
Discomfort in your joints is common with lupus.
Especially after you’ve woken up.
This is known as lupus arthritis.
The inflammation will cause your joints to swell.
This will give you that feeling of tightness.
The joints that are affected the worst are in your fingers, elbows, wrists, knees and
toes.
The stiffness will be at its most painful after you get out of bed.
But it eases up as the day goes on.
Not to worry though.
Similar to hair loss, there is an upside.
Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, lupus doesn’t cause total destruction to your joints.
Studies show that fewer than 10% of people with lupus arthritis don’t develop deformities
in their hands and feet.
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Headaches
If you have lupus, you’ve probably experienced crushing headaches.
Pain in your head is one of the more common symptoms related to the disease.
This is just one of the things that occurs when it affects your central nervous system.
People with lupus are twice as likely to suffer from migraine-like headaches.
These are commonly known as lupus headaches.
They are normally a product of vasculitis, which happens when the blood vessels become
inflamed.
Sensitivity to Light
Having lupus might make you feel like a hermit living in the dark.
Seriously, sunlight becomes your enemy.
If you have lupus, you develop photosensitivity.
This is when your body becomes sensitive to UV rays from sunlight and other light sources.
This can trigger all sorts of additional symptoms, including rashes on the skin.
If a lupus patient steps outside, or into a room with fluorescent lighting, they may
notice awful rashes, sores and lesions around the body.
Perhaps the most visible skin reaction is a butterfly-shaped rash that surfaces before
the bridge of your nose and cheeks.
This rash appears in about 50% of people who suffer from lupus.
If you suffer from this disease, a doctor will recommend you wear the proper sunscreen
as well as clothes that will shield you from dangerous light.
You may also be advised to limit your sun exposure from the hours of 10 am to 4 pm.
This is when the UV rays are especially intense.
Fever
If you find yourself with an unexpected fever, this may be a warning sign of lupus.
This illness will show up for no apparent reason, meaning you’ll feel fine one day
and then wake up feeling miserable the next.
Keep in mind, this fever normally remains low grade.
This means your temperature will be around 98 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
Any temperature over that is considered high grade.
While the fever might disappear after a period of time, it can come back.
The lupus fever is normally caused by inflammation or infection.
If you have a fever, a doctor will prescribe medication that will prevent the fever from
getting worse.
Kidney Inflammation
Within the first five years of lupus, you will develop an inflamed kidney.
Well at least 60% of lupus patients will.
The other 40% have enough to worry about already.
Inflamed kidneys will make it difficult for the organs to filter out toxins or have better
control over your bodily fluids.
This condition is called nephritis.
Your kidney has something called nephrons.
These are the structures that filter the blood.
As a result, your blood pressure will spike.
You may also notice blood in your urine.
Not fun at all!
Fatigue
Lupus makes you feel tired.
While some can overcome this fatigue by shutting their eyes for a half hour, others won’t
be so lucky.
Some of you will get tired with a capital ‘T’.
And I don’t mean the kind of tiredness where you feel like taking a quick power nap.
This will make you want to pass out anywhere.
It will also be hard for you to get out of bed in the morning.
The reasons behind why exactly fatigue occurs in lupus is unclear.
Most experts attribute it to certain medications, terrible mental or physical health and age.
Either way, between 80 and 90% of people with lupus will experience some form of fatigue.
If you are feeling the extreme kind, be sure to talk to a medical professional about how
to handle it.
You don’t want to be sleeping during the day.
This develops into insomnia, since it will be harder for you to sleep at night.
Gastrointestinal Problems
Lupus can bring on several gastrointestinal issues you haven’t dealt with.
These include heartburn and acid reflux, but can also extend to gas, bloating and constipation.
Gastrointestinal symptoms occur when your muscles aren’t properly moving waste through
your intestines.
If you’ve been dealing with these symptoms, switch up your eating habits.
This means a smaller portion size on your plate.
It’s also good to cut back on the caffeine.
Try your best to stay awake after a sugary meal as well.
This will allow your insides to function better.
But before we continue, are you concerned about the state of your lungs?
Check out our latest video listing 11 Ways You’ll Get a Respiratory Infection.
Now back to our list of 11 Lupus Symptoms You Should Never Ignore.
Oral Problems
Lupus can really do a number on your oral health.
It can cause you to experience uncomfortable dry mouth, as well as cracked lips.
This is something known as Sjorgen’s syndrome.
Sjorgen’s syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that interrupts the proper function of glands
that produce saliva.
Aside from dry mouth, people may also notice red sores in different areas of the mouth.
This includes the lips, gums and roof.
However, these are usually painless.
Here’s where it gets creepy.
You see, signs of thrush can come out of nowhere.
Thrush is a condition where yeast-like fungus begins to grow in your mouth.
It’s brought on by a number of illnesses.
Bumps On Your Neck
If you’re suffering from lupus, you might feel tiny bumps on your neck.
These are called lymph nodes, small reactions that are usually triggered by your system
to fight off infection.
While lymph nodes can be found all over your body, bumps on your neck are normally associated
with lupus.
Normally, neck bumps aren’t visible.
But in the case of lupus, they are very noticeable.
Not to mention extremely uncomfortable.
Bumps usually serve as a sign that the disease is getting worse.
After a while, the lymph nodes will become painful.
Just lightly touching them will hurt.
Weight Change
If you are suffering from lupus, you will lose weight unexpectedly.
Have you ever gotten up and checked the scale in the morning, only to see that you’ve
lost a crazy amount of weight a little too quickly?
This is one of the first signs, and definitely one of the most unpleasant.
Certain medications don’t make your weight situation easier.
Different treatments can cause you to lose your appetite.
Since you’re not eating what you regularly eat, you’re going to shed pounds pretty
quickly.
At the same time, these medications can also cause you to gain weight.
In order to prevent this weight gain, reduce your calorie consumption and exercise on the
regular.
Do you know someone with lupus?
Did they show any of these signs?
Let us know in the comments below.
We would love to hear from you!