Recently, a disease called "systemic lupus erythematosus" has entered the public's field of vision, what kind of disease is it?Today, let's take a look at systemic lupus erythematosus to help you eliminate the disease panic and walk the road of life safely.
Systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, is a chronic autoimmune disease that often affects women of childbearing age and is thought to be associated with immune dysfunction due to genetic predisposition, environmental factors (ultraviolet light, infection), and hormone levels (estrogen). The clinical presentation is varied, and the severity of the disease varies. Let's introduce the common symptoms of SLE to help you identify them as soon as possible.
* Mucosal manifestations.
Including photosensitivity, butterfly erythema, discoid erythema, periungual erythema, chilblain-like rash, oral ulcers, etc., some patients only have ** symptoms of involvement.
Articular muscle performance.
About half of patients with SLE will have joint involvement, which can be manifested as joint pain, swelling, muscle pain and weakness around the body, and may be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in the early stage of the disease, so patients with joint symptoms also need to be screened for lupus.
Systemic symptoms. These include fever, fatigue, weight loss, and swollen lymph nodes.
Renal involvement. More than half of patients with SLE will have renal involvement, and there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage, and some patients find proteinuria, hematuria, and casts urine during physical examination, so as to confirm the diagnosis of the disease, so it is also important to have regular physical examinations. Patients with severe renal involvement may present with hypertension, oliguria, eyelid edema, and generalized edema.
Neurological involvement.
About 5-10% of patients with SLE will have neurological involvement, which manifests as cognitive impairment, epilepsy, psychiatric symptoms, and dysfunction due to cerebrovascular involvement.
Hematologic involvement.
Most patients will have blood system involvement, causing anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, etc., patients with mild reduction have no obvious self-conscious symptoms, when the blood cells are severely reduced, manifested as paleness, ecchymosis, mouth and nosebleeds, etc.
Cardiopulmonary involvement. About 10% of SLE patients will have cardiopulmonary involvement, such as pericarditis, myocarditis, pleural effusion, pulmonary hypertension, alveolar hemorrhage, etc., which can manifest as shortness of breath, dyspnea, palpitations, hemoptysis, etc.
Digestive system. A small number of patients with SLE will have liver, pancreas, and gastrointestinal tract involvement, and the first symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea, jaundice, etc.
If you have the above symptoms, especially if you have symptoms of multisystem involvement at the same time, you must go to the hospital in time for a professional rheumatology and immunologist to help you investigate and make a clear diagnosis of the disease.
Don't panic unduly in patients with well-diagnosed SLE, as the mechanism of systemic lupus erythematosus is being studied, and more and more new immunosuppressants and biologics are available for the disease**, and most patients can achieve the target**. Through the evaluation of the condition, the rheumatology and immunologist will formulate an individualized and accurate plan for the patient, and the medical team will also help the patient to manage the chronic disease, so that the condition can gradually stabilize and return to normal life. Regular outpatient follow-up is more helpful in maintaining stability.
Winter and spring are the seasons with a high incidence of respiratory diseases, and it is also a great test and challenge for SLE patients. For patients with unstable disease, it is necessary to do a good job of personal protection and family protection, reduce going to confined spaces where people gather, wear masks and wash hands frequently to reduce the risk of co-infection. In addition to personal protection, influenza vaccines and new crown vaccines can be given every year to reduce the occurrence and severity of infection.
The Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University undertakes the national key clinical specialty construction project, and as the first batch of "Standard Units for the Construction of Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus" of the China Rheumatology and Immunology Medical Alliance, it has always promoted the standardized diagnosis and treatment of rheumatological diseases