On December 11, well-known actor Zhou Haimei died at the age of 57. According to Zhou Haimei's friend Hong Kong actor Tian Qiwen, Zhou Haimei has been plagued by lupus erythematosus for a long time. For a time, many entries related to "lupus erythematosus" appeared on Weibo hot searches.
The Iraqi people have passed away, and while people are lamenting, they also have many questions about "lupus erythematosus": is lupus erythematosus a disease?Will it cause death?Does this disease affect a woman's fertility ......Health Shen Yi invited experts from the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the Second People's Hospital of Guangdong Province to explain this disease in detail.
One question: Is lupus erythematosus just a disease?
More than 20 years ago, "First Close Contact", the ancestor of online literature, brought systemic lupus erythematosus into the public eye. But to this day, there are still many people who mistake lupus erythematosus for just the first disease. After the news of Zhou's death broke, thousands of people voted for the wrong choice of "venereal disease" in a vote about lupus erythematosus.
This is simply nonsense. Lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by an immune system disorder, and it is not a sexually transmitted disease, let alone contagious. ”
Li Tianwang, director of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the Second People's Hospital of Guangdong Province, explained that the most typical symptom of lupus erythematosus in the field is the appearance of "butterfly erythema" on the cheeks, so many people thought it was allergies and went to see the first department. In addition, patients may present with arthralgia, hematologic damage, recurrent mouth ulcers, or clinical signs of renal involvement, such as proteinuria, hematuria, or renal insufficiency.
In layman's terms, the pathogenesis of lupus erythematosus is a disorder of the immune system that attacks the tissues and organs inside the body, leading to inflammation and damage. It is a multi-system, multi-organ disease that can affect multiple organs such as **, joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, nervous system, etc. ”
Lupus erythematosus is more common in women of childbearing age between 20 and 40 years old, but the cause of the disease is unknown, and the possible triggers include genetics, environment, gender, sex hormones, ultraviolet environment, etc.
Second question: Can lupus erythematosus die suddenly?
Zhou Haimei's sudden death has raised questions about lupus erythematosus: can this chronic autoimmune disease cause sudden death?
In this regard, experts have a negative attitude.
Li Tianwang introduced that although lupus erythematosus cannot be treated at present, the disease can be controlled through formal scientific management and management, and there are few cases of death on the whole.
There are four main factors in the death caused by lupus erythematosus: first, kidney failure;The second is severe nephritis, which leads to a large loss of protein, generalized edema;Third, long-term lupus leads to severe interstitial pneumonia and respiratory failureFourth, the disease injures the blood system, causing low white blood cells, anemia, low platelets, etc. "In particular, low platelets can cause organ bleeding such as cerebral hemorrhage in severe cases, but it is not difficult to rescue this situation in time. ”
According to public information, Zhou Haimei lives alone in Beijing, and her earlier public appearance did not show the swelling of her face, and it is reported that the admission was due to a coma caused by low platelets.
Huang Zhengping, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Second People's Hospital of Guangdong Province, also wrote an article pointing out that he has been engaged in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of lupus erythematosus for more than 10 years, and has had no less than 1,000 cases of lupus erythematosus, and only 3 patients have died. One died at home, according to family members, because of cardiovascular disease and had little to do with lupus;One was ** after self-discontinuation of the drug for 2 months, he died of lupus pulmonary hemorrhage;Another person who was most impressive, a 23-year-old man, was not diagnosed with lupus erythematosus until the disease was very severe, and finally died of multisystem damage.
Huang Zhengping said that with the progress of medicine and economic development, the mortality rate of lupus erythematosus has been reduced year by year, the quality of life has been continuously improved, and China has achieved the goal of a 10-year survival rate for lupus patients comparable to that of developed countries.
Three questions: Can I have lupus erythematosus and be unable to have children?
Previously, it was reported that Zhou Haimei had not given birth because of lupus erythematosus, because she was afraid of inheriting it to the next generation. So, does lupus erythematosus affect fertility?
Director Li Tianwang pointed out that systemic lupus erythematosus is related to sex hormones, pregnancy can aggravate the condition, and even lead to death, and the fetus may also face a series of problems such as miscarriage, premature birth, and growth retardation. "On the one hand, lupus itself attacks body organs, including the ovaries, causing premature ovarian failure;On the other hand, the drug toxicity of lupus can also bring harm to ovarian function. ”
However, with the advancement of medicine, most lupus patients can safely survive pregnancy and give birth to healthy babies under the premise of appropriate medication.
Adherence is the key to stable control of lupus erythematosus. Li Tianwang reminded that if you do not pay attention to proper medication after pregnancy, it may lead to nephritis or other complications that are active again, and in serious cases, it is easy to lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, and even fatal.
In clinical practice, many patients have been encountered, with the expectation of 'broken roots', believing in home remedies and secret recipes, and discontinuing the medicine on their own, resulting in recurrence of the disease. Li Tianwang emphasized that it is important for lupus erythematosus patients to be "obedient". Be sure to standardize the use of medication, do not stop taking medication by yourself or give up follow-up re-examination, and regularly test your condition. The same is true for patients who need to have children, do not stop taking drugs because they are afraid of the effects on the fetus, and do not get pregnant because they are desperate to have a child without waiting for the condition to stabilize. Otherwise, the risk of exacerbation during pregnancy and postpartum will be greatly increased, and in the end, it will cost lives.
Southern + Xi reporter Mei Ziyi reporter Yan Huifang.
Author] Yan Huifang;Mei Ziyi.
*] Southern Press Media Group Nanfang + client.