LUPUS
Patient Advocacy Links:
Lupus Research Institute
Lupus Foundation
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body, including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain. Normally the body’s immune system makes proteins called antibodies, to protect the body against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign materials. These foreign materials are called antigens.
In an autoimmune disorder like lupus, the immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissues. The immune system then makes antibodies directed against itself. These antibodies — called “auto-antibodies” (auto means ‘self’) — cause inflammation, pain and damage in various parts of the body.
Inflammation is considered the primary feature of lupus. Inflammation, which in Latin means “set on fire,” is characterized by pain, heat, redness, swelling and loss of function, either on the inside or on the outside of the body (or both).
For most people, lupus is a mild disease affecting only a few organs. For others, it may cause serious and even life-threatening problems. Although epidemiological data on lupus is limited, studies suggest that more than 16,000 Americans develop lupus each year.
Causes
The cause(s) of lupus is currently unknown, but there are environmental and genetic factors involved. Some environmental factors which may trigger the disease include infections, antibiotics (especially those in the sulfa and penicillin groups), ultraviolet light, extreme stress, certain drugs, and hormones.
Scientists believe there is a genetic predisposition to the disease, as lupus is known to occur within families. However, there is no known gene or genes which are thought to cause the illness. There are recent discoveries of a gene on chromosome 1 which is associated with lupus in certain families. Previously, genes on chromosome 6 called “immune response genes” were also associated with the disease. Only 10 percent of lupus patients will have a close relative (parent or sibling) who already has or may develop lupus. Statistics show that only about five percent of the children born to individuals with lupus will develop the illness.
Lupus is often called a “woman’s disease” despite the fact that many men are affected. Lupus can occur at any age, and in either sex, although it occurs 10-15 times more frequently among adult females than among adult males after puberty or after the emergence into sexual maturity. The symptoms of the disease are the same in men and women. People of African, American Indian, and Asian origin are thought to develop the disease more frequently than Caucasian women. The reasons for this ethnic selection are not clear.
Hormonal factors may explain why lupus occurs more frequently in females than in males. The increase of disease symptoms before menstrual periods and/or during pregnancy support the belief that hormones, particularly estrogen, may somewhat regulate the way the disease progresses. However, the exact reason for the greater prevalence of lupus in women, and the cyclic increase in symptoms, is unknown.
There are four forms of lupus including:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) attacks multiple systems in the body which may include: the skin, joints, lungs, blood, blood vessels, heart, kidneys, liver, brain and the nervous system.
Drug-induced lupus may develop after taking certain prescription medications. Symptoms generally disappear, within weeks to months, after the drug is discontinued.
Neonatal lupus, a fourth type, is a rare condition. It is not the same thing as SLE.
Cutaneous lupus erythematosus affects the skin. There are many different types of cutaneous lupus including:
- Chronic cutaneous LE (CCLE) which is sometimes called discoid.
- Subacute cutaneous LE (SCLE), and
- Acute cutaneous LE (ACLE).
For additional information on Lupus, please visit:
www.lupus.org
For information about Trubion clinical trials for Lupus currently underway, please visit:
www.clinicaltrials.gov