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Lupus Awareness Campaign Stepped Up in US
July 30, 2007 at 12:36 PM
General Health News
As many as one and a half to two million people are afflicted with lupus in the US, it has been estimated.
That means that there are more people suffering with lupus than with AIDS, sickle-cell anemia, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis and multiple sclerosis combined.
Most of them are women of prime childbearing age and most of these women are minorities whether they are African American, Hispanic or Asian.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease. It attacks the body’s cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage.
The term "autoimmune disease" refers to a varied group of more than 80 serious, chronic illnesses that involve almost every human organ system. It includes diseases of the nervous, gastrointestinal, and endocrine systems as well as skin and other connective tissues, eyes blood, and blood vessel. In all of these diseases, the underlying problem is similar--the body's immune system becomes misdirected, attacking the very organs it was designed to protect. For reasons we do not understand, about 75 percent of autoimmune diseases occur in women, most frequently during the childbearing years.
The course of lupus is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remission.
Lupus is treatable symptomatically, mainly with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Corticosteroids (cortisone-like medicines) are used to provide relief for inflamed areas of the body. They lessen swelling, redness, itching, and allergic reactions.
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