Systemic lupus erythmatosus, SLE, or lupus, is an autoimmune disease. Which means, basically, that the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, which leads to long-term chronic inflammation. The underlying cause of lupus is unknown at this time, although some people do show symptoms of it after taking certain medications.

Medications that can cause lupus include anti-seizure medications, capoten, chlorpromazine, etanercept, infliximab, methyldopa, minocycline, penicillamine, and quinidine. Lupus is more common in women than in men, and affects more women that are of African-American or Asian descent.

For diagnosis a doctor will look for at least 4 of 11 typical signs, these include, but are not limited to: presence of antibodies, CBC, Chest X-ray, kidney biopsy, urinalysis, Coomb’s test, ESR, and Rh factor.

There is no cure for lupus at this time, the goal of healthcare is to manage symptoms as much as possible. This includes use of NSAID’s, corticosteroid creams for rashes, antimalaria drugs, and low dose corticosteroids. Remember that protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen are essential to the person with lupus. For more severe cases doctors treat with high-dose corticosteroids and cytotoxic drugs.

Preventive heart care is essential, as is screening for osteoporosis and keeping immunizations up to date. We are looking into natural supplements that help, if there is anything out of the normal range that you have found effective please send us a private message in the next few days to help it be more inclusive.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001471/