Prognosis and Hope: Today, people with lupus are leading healthier lives and living longer than at any time in history, thanks to researchers who continue to discover more about the underlying science of the immune system. When I was first diagnosed with lupus almost twenty years ago, this was not the case, and prognosis that [...]
Prognosis and Hope: Most people with lupus are able to continue to work. However, some may need changes to their work environment and schedules, such as flexible work hours, job-sharing, and telecommuting. My lupus has affected my professional life, and required some major accommodations the help me to work under the Americans with Disabilities Act [...]
Prognosis and Hope: Advancing technology and better understanding of the disease have improved pregnancy outcomes. Today, 80 percent of women with inactive lupus can have successful pregnancies. First, it is a great idea to learn about the issues and risks of pregnancy in lupus. Here are a few sources with reliable medical information: First, here [...]
Prognosis and Hope: With current methods of therapy, 80 to 90 percent of people with non-organ threatening lupus can look forward to a normal lifespan. This puts about 10 to 20 percent of in a somewhat different minority group, but with proper treatment these people can expect to live long, full productive lives, too. The [...]
Prognosis and Hope: Lupus is not contagious and cannot be “given” to another person. Lupus is unlike and unrelated to HIV/AIDS or any other infectious disease. Once people realize this, they may want more information or to correct misconceptions about it. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that is mostly invisible. Rashes and visible joint inflammation [...]
Living with Lupus: Neonatal lupus is a rare condition that affects infants of women who have lupus. With proper testing, physicians can identify most at-risk mothers, and the infant can be successfully treated before or at birth. Only one in every 20,000 children is born with or develops neonatal lupus. It can show up in [...]
Living with Lupus: About 40 percent of people who were originally diagnosed with cutaneous lupus, which affects only the skin, will go on to develop systemic lupus that can affect any organ in the body. Has cutaneous lupus become more than skin deep? One of the most difficult things for a patient diagnosed with cutaneous [...]
Living with Lupus: Only 10 percent of people with lupus will have a close relative who has lupus or may develop lupus, and only five percent of children born to a mother with lupus will develop the disease. The Lupus Site, asks and answers: “Can lupus run in families? Yes. This was first observed in [...]
Living with Lupus: As many as 40 percent of all people with lupus, and as many as two-thirds of all children with lupus, will develop kidney complications that require treatment. I have known several lupus patients with kidney involvement, but only one person’s story stands out above all the others as both a wonderful and [...]
Living with Lupus: The malar, or “butterfly” rash on the face is present in about one-third of those with systemic lupus. This flat, reddish rash across the bridge of the nose and cheeks, is often the only visible symptom of this form of lupus. Before I was treated for lupus, a malar rash showed up [...]
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