Lupus is a serious autoimmune disease, which means your immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake. It’s also chronic, which means it lasts a long time and requires long-term treatment. Because symptoms are sometimes hard to detect and vary widely, lupus can be challenging to diagnose.
Some call it “the disease with 1,000 faces. While symptoms vary widely, some common ones include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Joint Paint
- Skin Rashes
- Mouth Ulcers
- Hair Loss
- Organ complications, including inflammation in the lining of the heart, abdomen, or lungs, and kidney problems
While lupus can affect anybody, it is most commonly found in women between 15 and 45 years old. Although no cure for lupus exists, it is manageable – having lupus requires you to take care of yourself by following your doctor’s treatment plan, a healthy diet, exercising, and reducing stress. Nearly 90% of people with lupus live to an average life expectancy. Understanding how to control your symptoms and manage your health is crucial to living well with the disease.
Here are a few more tips:
Understand your condition
Learn what triggers you to avoid flares
Various things can trigger a flare in lupus patients, including sun exposure, infection, stress, exhaustion, and post-partum. Learning common lupus triggers can help you prevent flare-ups and better manage symptoms once they appear. For example, avoid the sun during peak hours, and wear sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses at all times during the summer to protect yourself.
To reduce stress and exhaustion, take time for yourself, practice Yoga, deep-breathing exercises, rest, or meditate. In addition, learn to recognize the signs of a flare so you can better manage it when it appears. Lupus flares often have warning signs, such as worsening symptoms, pain, rash, fever, or a severe headache.
Live a healthy lifestyle
