What Is Lupus and What Are The Different Types Of Lupus

Basically, Lupus is a chronic skin disease that can last for many years. Lupus, which was recognized by a dermatologist in the 19th century, takes its name from the Latin term Lupus, which means “wolf”. This derivation, moreover, was influenced by the red rash that usually breaks out across the bridge of the nose and the cheeks. Lupus can affect various parts of the body, such as skin, joints, blood, kidneys. And in addition, even more important is the fact that there is no way to know what part of the patient’s body will be affected. Lupus affects the immune system and induces the system to become over active. It would be crucial to here consider that there are different antibodies in our body that do the work of defense mechanisms, protecting and defending the body from germs, bacteria and other foreign materials. In the case of lupus, these antibodies go awry, so to speak, and begin attack normal tissues in the body instead of concentrating on bacterial tissue.

Lupus usually develops slowly, with symptoms that come and go, and while it is sometimes no more than a mild disease that affects only a few organs, lupus can sometimes become a life threatening problem. Lupus is not, however, infectious or cancerous. According to the Lupus foundation of America, the disease affects about 1.5 million Americans, with majority of them being women. This disease tends to have unpredictable flares in as much as the recurrent formation and improvement of exacerbations. And although it is called a woman’s disease, many men also tend to be victims of this disease. Also, while Lupus can attack either sex, it occurs 10-15 times more among young females puberty or after the emergence into sexual maturity rather than men. It is very difficult to predict when it will get worse or get better. In spite of the fact that Lupus patient do not actually look sick, they usually feel run down, nauseated, weak and suffer from painful or swollen joints. There are a number of different types of lupus, a number of which we will be discussing below:

Different Types Of Lupus:

• Systemic Lupus Erthematosus
  Also called SLE, this is most serious form of lupus. This type of lupus can affect many parts of the body and although it can occur at all ages, it is common in young women. . The severity can range from mild to life threatening and many patients who have this type of lupus first start to feel sick when they are teens. It is very important to get treatments as soon as possible because if patients don’t pay attention to the disease it can cause damage to the internal organs, especially the lungs and kidneys, both crucial organs of the human body.
• Discoid
  This type of the lupus primarily attacks the skin, fundamentally categorizes as a skin disease that causes a rash on the face, neck and scalp and other parts of the body. Discoid lupus is a less serious disease and it is a much rare form of lupus in comparison to SLE. Discoid lupus, which doesn’t affect other [internal parts of the body, is also is also known as cutaneous lupus. It is usually diagnosed by examining a biopsy (a removed part of skin that is instrumental to studying the skin under a microscope) of the rash. About 10% of patients with discoid lupus tend to become patients of systemic lupus.
• Drug Induced Lupus
  Caused by external factors, this form of lupus usually appears after during the use of certain prescribed medicines, the most common being Hydralazine and Procainamide and it usually affects older men and women. Although the patient with drug induced lupus can have the same problem as systemic lupus but it is not serious as systemic lupus. Only 4% people will develop this type of the lupus.
• NeoNatal Lupus
  This type of the lupus, which is extremely rare, is not usually serious and does not need to be treated. Some newborn babies of women with immune system disorders get neonatal lupus. And although it can result in serious heart and skin defects, these defects are treatable. Neonatal lupus is not the same as adult lupus and it does not develop arthritis, fever, and/or kidney diseases.