I'm Dr. Frita what do Toni Braxton Selena Gomez and Trick Daddy all have in
common? Lupus. What is lupus? Keep watching.
Lupus or systemic lupus erythematosus is a disease of chronic inflammation that
can affect any part of your body including the joints the skin the hair
the heart the brain and the kidneys lupus is an autoimmune disease which
means that instead of your immune system fighting the germs the bacteria the
viruses of the outside world your immune system turns against you it begins to
attack your own organs lupus is an autoimmune disorder how do you get lupus
the precise cause of lupus is not known but we do know that it's a combination
of genetic hormonal and environmental factors if you have lupus than it is
likely that you have a relative with lupus the award-winning singer Lady gaga
has tested positive for lupus and she has shared that she had an aunt who died
with lupus 1.5 million Americans have lupus and lupus is more common among
blacks Hispanics and Asian's than in Caucasians lupus is also more
common among women than in men and it is usually diagnosed between the ages of 15
and 44 that being said if you are a man you still could have the diagnosis of
lupus in fact the actor comedian and producer Nick Cannon has shared that he
is living with lupus what are the symptoms of lupus now this is a tricky
question since lupus can literally affect any
part of the body the symptoms can be vast and nonspecific lupus can literally
cause pain inflammation swelling and damage
to any organ system symptoms can be mild or they can be severe in
life-threatening symptoms can wax and wane they can come and go however most
people with the diagnosis of lupus do experience the following generalised
symptoms at some point during the course of the disease symptom number one
fatigue this is the most common generalized symptom of lupus and it can
be quite debilitating imagine having very low or no energy it can make it
difficult to take on daily tasks of living or difficult to hold down a job
to go to school so fatigue is a symptom of lupus another symptom unintentional
weight changes so patients with the diagnosis of lupus can have an
unintentional weight loss or an unintentional weight gain the weight
gain often happens when the kidneys are involved with lupus patients will hold
on to excess salt in water which will make them put on weight weight gain can
also happen as a result of treatment especially if lupus patients are being
treated with steroids which tend to cause you to gain weight fever is the
third generalized symptom that most patients with lupus will experience the
other symptoms of lupus really depend on which organs are being affected at that
time lupus patients can also lose patches of hair due to alopecia skin
changes most patients will experience skin changes due to lupus during the
course of the disease the butterfly rash or the malar rash is the most common
skin change it occurs when there is a reddish rash on the cheeks and on the
nose of patients which usually occurs after sun exposure discoid lesions can
also happen on the skin in lupus the discoid rash consists of circular raised
patchy like lesions which tend to cause scarring
the rapper and producer trick daddy has shared that he has discoid lupus
patients with lupus can also experience a light sensitivity when they are
exposed to Sun or UVA and UVB radiation they tend to break out in a rash and
fair-skinned patients are more likely to have a more severe reaction than darker
skin patients the joints almost all patients with lupus will experience
joint pain swelling and inflammation at some points during the disease any
joints in the body can be affected by lupus but some of the more commonly
affected joints include the wrists the fingers and the knees kidneys lupus can
cause a lupus induced kidney disease or lupus nephritis lupus nephritis actually
accounts for a large amount of the young black and Hispanic female patients I see
in my practice with kidney disease when the lupus attacks the kidneys it affects
that filtering system because the kidneys are responsible for filtering
out your body's excess water excess waste excess toxins so when the lupus
causes an inflammation in this system you get a leakage of protein or blood in
the urine the lupus can ultimately cause a scarring of the kidney which can lead
to kidney failure in the need for dialysis or transplant the actress and
singer Selena Gomez has shares that she has lupus nephritis Selena has now had a
kidney transplant lupus can affect the lungs it can cause a shortness of breath
due to a collection of fluid around the lungs or a pleural effusion it can also
cause shortness of breath due to inflammation within the lungs by causing
pneumonitis lupus can also cause pain with breathing
lupus can cause an inflammation around the heart which can lead to chest pain
and shortness of breath this condition is called lupus
pericarditis the Grammy award-winning singer Toni Braxton has been very open
about her diagnosis of lupus and she has shared that she has suffered from lupus
pericarditis in the past lupus can also affect the brain and the nervous system
it can actually cause an inflammation in the brain called lupus cerebritis and it
can attack the nervous system causing all kinds of neurological symptoms lupus
can cause seizures depression memory loss weakness numbness I even have a
patient who had a stroke due to lupus at a very young age I've touched on several
organ systems but remember lupus can affect any part
of your body including their eyes the thyroid the gastrointestinal system you
name it how can you find out if you have lupus how can you be diagnosed with
lupus if you have any of the symptoms that I described
especially the joints in the skin symptoms than it is possible that you
could have lupus especially if you have a family history in order to be
diagnosed you need to see your physician your physician will do a detailed
history and physical and if the index of suspicion is high that you may have
lupus then a blood test will be ordered called an A in a
anti-nuclear antibody as well as a double-stranded DNA if indeed you do
have a diagnosis of lupus after a series of tests then you should be referred to
a Rheumatologist to ensure that you have the proper treatment for lupus this ends
my overview of lupus I hope it was helpful if so please like
my video please share my video please hit that subscribe button as always I
want you to strive to live your healthiest happiest life I'm Dr. Frita.
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