DEFINITION

Systemic Lupus Eritematoso also called by his initials LES, or simply Lupus, is an illness that causes a wide problems bogey and can simulate diverse processes in the course of the time, in the same patient. It can cause cutaneous eruptions, arthritis, anemia, convulsions or psychiatric problems and, often, it affects to other internal organs between which there are included the kidney, the lungs and the heart.

CAUSES

It THEY is an alteration of the immune system, which is the system that, normally, protects the organism opposite to infections and cancers. In THEY, saying immune system is hyperactive, and there take place important quantities of abnormal antibodies that react with the textiles of the proper patient. The exact cause of the Lupus is not known, but they play an important role the heredity, factors of the environment and certain hormonal changes.

This way, the predominance of changes THEM in the different groups of population, ranging between 300 and 400 patients for every 100.000 inhabitants. It is more frequent in certain ethnic groups, especially the blacks, and more than 90 % of the patients is women.

DIAGNOSIS

Because of the wide symptoms variety, the Lupus diagnosis can be difficult, and needs certain sagacity on the part of the doctor who sees initially the patient. Between the typical declarations of THEY are included:

• Eruption in the cheeks with aspect of "wings of butterfly".
• Cutaneous eruption in the areas exposed to the sun.
• You ulcerate in the palate and in the nostrils.
• Arthritis of one or more joints.
• Inflammation of kidney (nephritis).
• Affectation of the nervous system, including convulsions, mental alterations or cerebral vascular accidents (ictus).
• They can there turns fever, slimming, loss of the hair, circulatory problems in the fingers of the hands and of the feet, pain in the breast to the gait or with the deep inspiration or abdominal pain.

The laboratory tests are determinant to establish the diagnosis of THEM, and a series of alterations can be together or separately:

• a diminished number of white globules (Leucopenia).
• a diminished number of red globules (Anemia).
• a diminished number of thrombocytes.
• anomalies in urine analysis.
• decrease of the proteins of the complement (a system of proteins of the blood plasma that is part of the immune system).
• presence of antibodies that are not in the healthy persons. Especially, the antinuclear antibodies (ANN) are almost always positives in THEY.

Sometimes the exact diagnosis is late, because the illness can evolve gradually, simulating in turn other illnesses.

TREATMENT

The treatment of THEY depends on the clinical declarations and on the activity of the illness in every moment. A precocious and precise diagnosis, the best knowledge of the immune anomalies in and diverse therapeutic essays, they have helped to improve the treatment of the patients with Lupus.

The periodic medical reviews and the analytical control panel are important to monitor THEY. The treatment medicamentoso must be individualized for every patient, depending on his particular problems and of the gravity of his illness.

• When only a discreet inflammation exists to articulate, there can be sufficient the employment of the called anti-inflammatory not esteroideos.
• The most important medicines in the treatment of THEY are the corticoesteroides, used appropriately and under a narrow control of the doctor or the reumatólogo.
• The antimalarial medicines (personnel against the malaria or malaria) like the Hidroxicloroquina (Dolquine ®, Plaquenil ® ó Plaquinol ®) or Difosfato de Cloroquina, reduces the activity of THEY and is indicated especially in the cutaneous declarations and you will articulate.
• Burden THEM it can need treatment with inmunosupresoras drugs as Azatioprina and Ciclofosfamida.

Often the illness happens for periods quiescentes or of scarce or void activity, during which it can diminish, or even be suspended, the medication.

Systemic Lupus Eritematoso is an illness that causes a wide problems bogey and, often, it affects to internal organs between which there are included the kidney, the lungs and the heart, and that must be handled by a medical specialist in Reumatología or Internal Medicine, with experience in the handling of the different medications available for treating it.

Although in general it is chronic, it is important to remember that it THEY is an illness that happens for periods of scarce or void activity, in that it cannot be necessary to have the medication and in that it will be possible to do a normal life.

MORE INFORMATION

• Spanish federation of Lupus FELUPUS

WHAT DOCTOR CAN TREAT ME?

Select a province A Coruna Alava Albacete Alicante Almeria Asturias Avila Badajoz Barcelona Burgos Caceres Cadiz Cantabria Castellón Ciudad Real Cordova Cuenca Gipúzcoa Girona Granada Guadalajara Huelva Huesca Illes Balears Jaen La Rioja Las Palmas León Lleida Lugo Madrid Malaga Murcia Navarre Ourense Palencia Pontevedra Salamanca Santa Cruz Tenerife Segovia Seville Soria Tarragona Teruel Toledo Valencia Valladolid Biscay Zamora Saragossa

Service offered for