Types of Lupus and the Complications that Come with the Disease

Kidney failure is a common cause of death in individuals with lupus. The infection is an autoimmune disease that forces your immune system to attack your healthy tissues resulting in illnesses and tissue damage. Houston Kidney Specialists Center boasts professionals with expertise in diagnosing and managing lupus in Barker Cypress. These experts offer their patients specialized kidney care and help them live a comfortable fulfilling life despite the disease.

What are the various types of lupus?

There are various types of lupus, each with its own symptoms and severity. However, the most common form is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As a systemic condition, it causes adverse effects throughout your body with mild to severe symptoms. SLE is intense and goes in cycles. It will affect any of your body organs, causing inflammation of your lungs, kidneys, heart, and joints. Other types of lupus are:

• Drug-induced lupus
• Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus
• Neonatal lupus
• Discoid lupus erythematosus   

What are the common symptoms of lupus?

Different types of lupus have various symptoms. The signs may either be sudden or gradual, mild or severe, temporary or permanent. You are likely to have a flare-up with mild lupus, especially when the symptoms worsen. Fortunately, the signs will get minimal or disappear with the fading of the episode. The autoimmune infection affects various parts of your body and the signs you will experience depend on the affected body system. Lupus’ common symptoms include:

• Aching, swelling, and stiffness of your joints
• High fever
• Severe or constant fatigue
• Butterfly winged-rashes covering your nose bridge and cheeks
• Chest pain
• Sun and light sensitivity
• Ankle swelling
• Skin rash
• Purple/blue or pale fingers and toes, especially when you are cold or in a stressful state
• Nose and mouth sores
• Seizures
• Dry eyes
• Hallucinations, confusion, and memory loss

What causes you to have the autoimmune disease?

Being an autoimmune infection, lupus results from a combination of environmental and genetic factors that attack your body’s healthy tissues. When you have an inherited predisposition of the infection, you will develop its symptoms when exposed to a trigger in your environment. Though lupus has no exact causes, its common triggers are:

• Sunlight. You are likely to develop skin lesions when you are exposed to the sun. The UV rays also trigger internal responses if you are susceptible.
• Medications. Certain medications like anti-seizure or blood pressure can trigger lupus. Individuals with drug-induced lupus feel better when they stop taking the drugs.
• Infections. An infection is likely to initiate the infection or force you to have a relapse. 

 Which complications are you likely to have with lupus?

Inflammation resulting from lupus may affect your various body parts including:

• Kidneys. Lupus causes severe kidney damage which is the most common cause of death in individuals with the disease.
• Lungs. The disease causes inflammation of the chest cavity lining, making breathing painful.
• Heart. Inflammation of your heart membrane, heart muscles, or arteries is common with lupus.
• Brain and CNS (Central Nervous System). You are likely to experience vision problems, seizures, and behavioral changes when lupus gets to your brain.
• Blood vessels and blood. Lupus causes you to have blood problems like anemia and also causes inflammation of your blood vessels.

Lupus is a fatal disease, and you should immediately contact your doctor when you spot a sudden unexplained rash and persistent headaches or fatigue. Schedule an appointment to learn more about this autoimmune disease.  

Paul Petersen