Lupus
Lupus: Support and Survival

Flare Indicators and Triggers
Flare Indicators

The following symptoms could indicate a lupus flare:
 

  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Rash
  •     rash on the cheeks
  •     raised rash with little white bumps
  •     redness of fingertips, tips of toes, areas around fingernails
  •     redness on the palms or soles of the feet
  • Areas of vasculitis (inflammation of small blood vessels), which could be characterized  by small ulcers
  • Fishnet pattern to the skin
  • Fluid or air filled blisters
  • Deep pockets of inflamed and sometimes ulcerated skin
  • Loss of hair
  • Sun sensitivity
  • Mouth or nose ulcers
  • Joint pains
  • Muscle inflammation
  • Small nodules on the tendons (around the elbow or on the ankles)
  • Enlarged lymph nodes
  • Enlargement of the parotid glands (glands in the cheeks)
  • Low platelet count
  • Low white count or low lymphocyte count
  • High blood pressure
  • Menstrual period irregularities
  • Sore throat, backache, headache
  • Eye problems
  •     spots in the eyes called cotton wool spots
  •     small hemorrhages
  •     little clotted blood vessels in the eyes (found by your doctor)
  • Abnormalities of complement
  • Antibodies to cardiolipin
  • The lupus anticoagulant
Triggers of lupus flares:
  • Sunlight
  • Ultraviolet light
  • Infections
  • Stress
  • Surgical Procedures
  • Pregnancy
  • Sulfa drugs
  • Birth control pills
  • Radiation therapy
    • How Does A Person Develop Lupus?

    Some studies have suggested that lupus is a "triggered" disease. They state there are three qualities that cause a person to get lupus:

    1. We have an inherited ability to come down with the condition if we are triggered. Supposedly you don't inherit lupus, you inherit the "ability" to get it. Any autoimmune disease in the family genetics can lead to this inherited "ability".

    2. Stress of some type causes your immune system to be less than satisfactory and when #2 is happening-

    3. A sickness or virus of some type starts the immune system on its path to self destruction. It is highly believed and has been shown in  many studies that Lupus may be triggered from different types of viruses and retroviruses. Our weakened immune system doesn't handle them like a normal persons, so it starts attacking healthy cells, though retroviruses cause this themselves.

    Contact the Lupus Foundation of America or the local Chapter that serves your area for more information about lupus, or the programs and services the LFA offers including support group information and physician referral.

    Lupus Foundation of America., Inc.
    1300 Piccard Drive, Suite 200
    Rockville, MD 20850-4303
    301-670-9292  800-558-0121
    http://www.lupus.org

    Information gathered from :
     http://health.yahoo.com/health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Disease_Feed_Data/Lupus

    Searching for  ways to deal with the depression, the frustrations, the questions about lupus, I joined a support group online.  LUPIES has been a wonderful gift.  I have learned more from the information I found on the support web site from other sufferers of Lupus than I did from my doctor.
    Thank you fellow Lupies!    With a very special thank you to Deanna!
    May your days be pain free!

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