316, Sakar 7 Near Nehrubridge Ashram road Ahmedabad
316, Sakar 7 Near Nehrubridge Ashram road Ahmedabad
Lupus is diagnosed when a person has several features of the disease (including symptoms, findings on examination, and blood test abnormalities). The American College of Rheumatology has devised criteria to assist doctors in making the correct diagnosis of lupus. A person should have at least four of the following 11 criteria, either at the same time or one after the other, to be classified as having lupus. 11 common symptoms of lupus include: 1. Extreme fatigue 2. Joint pain or swelling 3. Swelling in the hands, feet, or around the eyes 4. Fever 5. Headache 6. Sensitivity to light 7. Chest pain when inhaling deeply caused by inflammation in the lining of the lungs 8. Butterfly-shaped rash on the cheeks and nose 9. Raised red patches on the skin 10. Sores in the mouth or nose 11. Arthritis in two or more joints, plus swelling or tenderness What questions will my doctor ask? If your doctor thinks you might have lupus, they’ll ask you questions about your symptoms, like: 1. What symptoms are you having? 2. How often do you have these symptoms? 3. When did your symptoms start? 4. Does anything make your symptoms better or worse? 5. Are your symptoms constant or do they come and go? 6. Do your symptoms get worse at a certain time of day? 7. Do your symptoms get in the way of your daily routine?
Over-the-counter NSAIDs, such as naproxen sodium (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), may be used to treat pain, swelling and fever associated with lupus.
Medications commonly used to treat malaria, such as hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), affect the immune system and can help decrease the risk of lupus flares. Side effects can include stomach upset and, very rarely, damage to the retina of the eye. Regular eye exams are recommended when taking these medications.
Prednisone and other types of corticosteroids can counter the inflammation of lupus. High doses of steroids such as methylprednisolone (A-Methapred, Medrol) are often used to control serious disease that involves the kidneys and brain
Drugs that suppress the immune system may be helpful in serious cases of lupus. Examples include azathioprine (Imuran, Azasan), mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) and methotrexate (Trexall).
A different type of medication, belimumab (Benlysta) administered intravenously, also reduces lupus symptoms in some people. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea and infections.
Curcumin is an active ingredient in turmeric which can prove effective in the treatment of autoimmune diseases like lupus. You can include turmeric in your daily diet for this. Turmeric milk is one of the best remedies for the same. Add one teaspoon of turmeric to a cup of milk and heat it.
Ginger is a powerful home remedy for a number of health conditions; lupus is one of them. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of turmeric reduce pain and swelling in joints. Ginger can be added to your diet in a number of ways. You can drink ginger tea or add ginger juice to fresh fruits and vegetables. To know how much ginger can be used, check with your doctor.
Living With Lupus: 8 Best Home Remedies For Lupus Women are more prone to lupus than men Lupus is an autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the healthy tissues instead of the foreign invaders in the body. This results in persistent inflammation affecting the joints, lungs, kidneys, endocrine glands and the brain. Its symptoms are quite similar to other diseases such as Lyme disease, thyroid disorders and fibromyalgia, which is why it usually goes undiagnosed. Women are more prone to lupus than men. In India, 8-9 people in a group of one lakh are affected with lupus. And this condition is worse when it affects kids, men and older adults. While some lupus patients may lead a normal life, some patients may even succumb to the disease. Experts are not very sure of the causes of this condition but they believe that it is a combination of genetics and environmental factors. Chronic infections, stress and reaction of some medications are also believed to be the cause of lupus. Lupus flares up can occur at any time. Therefore, in order to lead a healthy life with lupus, early diagnosis and prompt treatment is important. Medication can help you with better management of lupus, but what we recommend here is home remedies. Listed below are most effective home remedies for lupus. Take note. 1. Turmeric Curcumin is an active ingredient in turmeric which can prove effective in the treatment of autoimmune diseases like lupus. You can include turmeric in your daily diet for this. Turmeric milk is one of the best remedies for the same. Add one teaspoon of turmeric to a cup of milk and heat it. You can also add honey to enhance the taste. However, it is not suitable for people with gallbladder problems. So check with your doctor before using turmeric for lupus. Turmeric reduces inflammation from lupus. 2. Ginger Ginger is a powerful home remedy for a number of health conditions; lupus is one of them. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of turmeric reduce pain and swelling in joints. Ginger can be added to your diet in a number of ways. You can drink ginger tea or add ginger juice to fresh fruits and vegetables. To know how much ginger can be used, check with your doctor. Ginger reduces swelling in joints. 3. Apple cider vinegar Health practitioners believe that lupus patients suffer from a deficiency of hydrochloric acid and, one way of adding it to your body is by using apple cider vinegar. It increases hydrochloric acid production in the body. It aids detoxification and enhances nutrient absorption.
Coconut oil is one of the healthiest varieties of oil. It helps you balance the negative responses of the immune system on your body. Besides this, it has many other health benefits to offer like controlling cholesterol, blood sugar and improving digestion.
Fatigue is a common symptom of lupus. To get rid of it, we recommend an Epsom salt bath. Epsom salt improves magnesium absorption in the body and aids the removal of toxins. It also helps in reducing inflammation and joint pain. All you need to do is add a cup of Epsom salt to your bath water and mix it well. Now soak in this water for 10 to 20 minutes for relief.
Stress is the primary cause of lupus flare ups. To modulate your body's response to stress, you can use Tulsi or Holy basil. This herb is enriched with antioxidant and ant-inflammatory properties. It promotes a sense of well-being, relieves fatigue and improves organ function.
Flaxseeds are also quite effective for lupus because it is a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids which reduces inflammation in lupus patients. 30 grams of flaxseeds in a day can be quite helpful for lupus patients.
One of the healthiest teas in the world can alleviate lupus symptoms as well. In a study, it was found that green tea extracts given to patients for 12 weeks reduced the number of lupus flare-ups.
No one is sure what causes lupus, but doctors do know that the symptoms emerge when your immune system isn’t working as it should. Your immune system cells that are supposed to protect the body from different germs start treating normal, healthy cells like invaders, attacking them and causing flare-ups that can affect the joints, kidneys, and almost any other system in the body.
Symptoms of lupus vary from person to person, from severity to the body parts affected. Some of the most common signs of lupus are a rash and joint pain, says Konstantinos Loupasakis, MD, a rheumatologist with MedStar Washington Hospital Center, but symptoms can also include fatigue, hair loss, mouth sores, and fever. “There’s a great range of manifestations we see with lupus,” he says.
Women at childbearing age (between 15 and 44) are at the highest risk of lupus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but the disease isn’t limited to younger adults. Between 10 and 20 percent of people with systemic lupus are diagnosed before age 18, according to a study in Nature Reviews Rheumatology, and adults can also have “late-onset” lupus that is diagnosed after age 50.
People of color — particularly African Americans — are at a higher risk of lupus than white people are, and the disease tends to affect populations differently. Native American and black patients tend to have higher mortality rates than white patients, while Hispanic and Asian patients have a lower risk of lupus, according to a study of 42,000 lupus cases. (Read more about stroke risk in black and hispanic lupus patients.) There seems to be a genetic component to the disease, but researchers are investigating how socioeconomics and other factors play into the discrepancies
Most studies find that about 90 percent of lupus patients are women, according to a review in Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. The study also found that men tend to have more damage earlier in the disease and have lower survival rates. Hormones might play a role in the sex differences, but studies haven’t found a conclusive answer, says Dr. Loupasakis.
The symptoms of lupus are vague and the condition requires regular follow-ups, so a general practitioner will need to refer you to a specialist if he or she suspects an autoimmune problem like lupus. “When there is concern [that you could have] lupus, a rheumatologist should be involved in evaluating this diagnosis,” says Jason Liebowitz, MD, a rheumatology fellow with Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Once they have a confirmed diagnosis, lupus patients will likely visit their rheumatologist every three months or so, adds Dr. Loupasakis.
Other conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and Lyme disease share symptoms with lupus. Without a specific blood test pointing to lupus or other autoimmune conditions, it can sometimes take trial and error for rheumatologists to pin down the right diagnosis.
At this point, scientists haven’t found a cure for lupus. That said, the chronic disease is not a death sentence. With new medications, lupus mortality rates have improved over time, and the life expectancy for women with lupus-related kidney inflammation is almost on par with women of similar age groups in the general population, according to a study in the Internal Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology.
Drugs can’t cure lupus, but they can prevent flare-ups. Available medications can suppress the immune system, holding back the antibodies that would otherwise be triggering inflammation.
When some people take certain medications, including isoniazid, hydralazine, and procainamide, their bodies can overreact and start showing lupus-like symptoms. Typically, they’ll have symptoms like low-grade fever, aching and swelling joints, or occasionally rashes, but the more serious aspects like kidney inflammation don’t tend to show up, says Dr. Loupasakis.
Left unchecked, inflammation running rampant in the body can lead to serious complications. For lupus, damage to the kidneys is a big concern. About 40 to 70 percent of lupus patients have kidney inflammation, according to a study in Nature Reviews Nephrology, making renal failure one of the main comorbidities.
Indirectly, lupus can lead to cardiovascular problems. Lupus doesn’t directly affect the heart, but the inflammation the disease causes can speed up the formation of blood clots, says Dr. Loupasakis.