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SWALE LIFE > ARTICLES
Diversity House to help create awareness about Lupus in
Swale
By
Jennie
Wakuche
Considering that Systemic
Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) simply referred to as Lupus is
such a terribly debilitating illness, it is quite surprising
just how little people know about it. October 2010 is the
Lupus Awareness Month, and according to Christine Locke,
Chair, at Diversity House in Sittingbourne, her organisation
will do whatever it can to help create awareness about Lupus
over the coming year, and this includes giving as many
people as possible who are living with Lupus the opportunity
to tell their stories through the Diversity House website at
www.diversityhouse.org.uk
Lupus is an autoimmune
disorder, which like in many other autoimmune diseases
attacks the cells of the body and tissue which results in
inflammation and tissue damage.
Why is it important
that more people become aware of Lupus?
The ‘What is Lupus?’ page
in the Lupus West Midlands website (http://www.westmidlandslupus.co.uk/what_is_lupus.htm)
offers a snapshot of what
Lupus is about and demography of those commonly affected:
Systemic Lupus
Erythematosus (Lupus) is a presently incurable illness of
the immune system, a condition in which the body’s defence
mechanism begins to attack itself through an excess of
antibodies in the blood stream causing inflammation and
damage in the joints, muscles and other organs.
Discoid Lupus is usually a
condition of the skin alone although the joints can also
often be affected. A very few patients may go on to develop
systemic Lupus.
Lupus may be triggered by
various means and can present in a bewildering number of
ways, even to the extent of mimicking other illness such as
Rheumatoid Arthritis or Multiple Sclerosis.
The cause of Lupus is not
positively known though research has provided evidence
implicating heredity, hormones and infections including
viruses.
The majority of Lupus
patients are young women of childbearing age (15-55) but men
and even young children can be affected. It is estimated
that 1 in 750 women suffer from Lupus in the UK with the
ratio of women to men being 9:1. Lupus is a worldwide
disease more common in some races than others. The incidence
in white women is 1 in 1000 compared with that in black
women of 1 in 250 and Asian races also have a higher
tendency to Lupus. Only 10% of Lupus patients are male.
With its many symptoms, Lupus
can often be overlooked by a GP or consultant which may
delay final diagnosis and a vital start to necessary
treatment which can contain the disease and limit potential
damage to the kidneys, heart, lungs or brain.
Those diagnosed usually
remain in medical care and receive ongoing treatment. Many
symptoms will have less impact but there may be side
effects. Lupus can adversely affect the lives of sufferers
and their families and influence relationships with friends
and business colleagues.
Symptoms of Lupus
Having visited several
websites and gone through various literatures, it would
appear that virtually everybody does have Lupus. The list of
symptoms are endless, however the two primary symptoms tend
to be narrowed down to:
(a)
Extreme
Fatigue and or Weakness
(b) Joint
or Muscle Aches and Pains.
With more and more people
leading extremely busy lifestyles, it is easy to feel the
odd needle and pin here and there, feel extremely tired.
Therefore it is easy to jump to conclusions. The thing is
not to panic, but if you have concerns, always speak to your
doctor.
Here are the other common
symptoms of Lupus (source:
http://www.lupusuk.org.uk/the-symptoms)
-
Permanent rash over
cheeks
-
Extreme fatigue and
weakness
-
Increased risk of
miscarriage
-
Rashes from
sunlight/UV light
-
Flu-like symptoms
and/or night sweats
-
Weight gain or loss
-
Inflammation of the
tissues covering internal organs with associated chest
and/or abdominal pain
-
Seizures, mental
illness or other cerebral problems
-
Headaches, migraine
-
Kidney problems
-
Oral/nasal ulcers
-
Hair loss
-
Depression
-
Haematological
disorders including anaemia
-
Swollen glands
-
Poor blood circulation
causing the tips of fingers and toes to turn white then
blue on exposure to cold (Raynauds)
Lend your voice
This is in effect a call
to arms. Everyone can do something to combat Lupus. If you
would like to initiate or discuss any ideas or projects to
fight Lupus and especially to educate sufferers, don’t
hesitate to contact Diversity House at
info@diversityhouse.org.uk
You may also visit the
Lupus UK website to see what you can do for the Lupus
Awareness Month.
http://www.lupusuk.org.uk/latest-news/lupus-awareness-month
Short story
"The
Island" by Briony Jones
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