Question

SYSTEMIC LUPUS IS A DISORDER THAT AFFECTS CONNECTIVE TISSUE THROUGHOUT THE BODY.Explain why the symptoms and complications associated with Lupus can be so variable in different patients, and discuss some of the common symptoms of lupus and how those symptoms relate to damage to the connective tissue?

Answer 1

Lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease that influences the body in several different ways including: discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), drug-induced lupus, late-state lupus, and antiphopholipid antibody syndrome. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, rheumatic,inflammatory disease that can affect a person’s skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, heart, nervous system, blood, and mucous membranes. It does not affect all patients in the same way, so patients experience variable organ involvement after being diagnosed with SLE.

SLE can affect many organs of the body, but it rarely affects them all.All of the below symptoms might not be present at the initial diagnosis of SLE, but as the disease progresses more of a person’s organ systems become involved. The most common symptoms associated with SLE are:-Constitutional symptoms (fever, malaise, fatigue, weight loss): most commonly fatigue and a low-grade fever, Achy joints (arthralgia), Arthritis (inflamed joints), Skin rashes, Pulmonary involvement (symptoms include: chest pain, difficulty breathing, and cough), Anemia, Kidney involvement (lupus nephritis), Sensitivity to the sun or light (photosensitivity), Hair loss, Raynaud’s phenomenon, CNS involvement (seizures, headaches, peripheral neuropathy, cranial neuropathy, cerebrovascular accidents, organic brain syndrome, psychosis), Mouth, nose, or vaginal ulcers, The most common signs and symptoms of SLE in children and adolescents are: "fever, fatigue, weight loss, arthritis, rash, and renal disease.Patients most often seek medical attention for joint pain, with small joints of the hand and wrist usually affected, although any joint is at risk. Joint pain is one of the most common reasons for the initial clinical presentation in patients with SLE. Arthralgia, arthritis, osteonecrosis (avascular necrosis of bone), and myopathy are the principal manifestations.

There are many visceral systems can be affected from SLE, but the extent of the body's involvement differs from person to person. Some people diagnosed with SLE have only few visceral systems involved, while others have numerous systems that have been affected by the disease.