Lupus
For the lupus patient, the emotional aspects of dealing with a chronic disease can be overwhelming. They can also make a patient feel isolated from friends, family, and coworkers. Grief, depression, and anger are common reactions of patients about their lupus. How lupus is defined, diagnosed, and treated and the psychosocial issues involved have implications for the way that the nurse or other health professional works with a patient who has lupus.
Definition and Description of Lupus
article syndicated from NIAMS
Care for the patient with lupus erythematosus is a challenge that draws on all the resources, knowledge, and strengths the health care team has to offer. Because of the unpredictable, highly individualized, and frequently changing nature of the disease as well as the intricacy of each patient's needs, it is impossible to predict the treatment for one patient from the outcome of treatment for another.
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Symptoms and Diagnosis of Lupus
article syndicated from NIAMS
Early symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus are usually vague, nonspecific, and easily confused with other pathological and functional disorders. Symptoms may be transient or prolonged, and individual symptoms often appear independently of the others. Moreover, a patient may have severe symptoms with few abnormal laboratory test results, and vice versa.
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Treatment of Lupus
article syndicated from NIAMS
The treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus is as varied as its course. Although there is no cure for lupus and it is difficult to predict which treatment will be most effective for each patient, there have been significant gains in treating patients, and there is general consensus on several treatments.
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Aspects and Implications of Lupus
article syndicated from NIAMS
For the lupus patient, the emotional aspects of dealing with a chronic disease can be overwhelming. They can also make a patient feel isolated from friends, family, and coworkers. Grief, depression, and anger are common reactions of patients about their lupus. How lupus is defined, diagnosed, and treated and the psychosocial issues involved have implications for the way that the nurse or other health professional works with a patient who has lupus.
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Dermatologic Manifestations of Lupus
article syndicated from NIAMS
Approximately 80% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have skin manifestations and often suffer from itching, pain, and disfigurement. The classic sign of systemic lupus erythematosus is the "butterfly" rash extending over the cheeks (malar area) and bridge of the nose. This rash ranges from a faint blush to a severe eruption with scaling. It is photosensitive, and it may be transitory or fixed. Between 55 and 85% of patients develop this rash at some time in the course of the disease.
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Skin Care and Lupus
article syndicated from NIAMS
Skin problems are very common in people with lupus. Some skin rashes and sores (also called lesions or ulcers) are very specific to lupus, while others can occur in other diseases as well. A sensitivity to and too much exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) rays of sun and some types of artificial light are responsible for aggravating some rashes and lesions. Many types of skin conditions are common in lupus.
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