Systemic lupus erythematosus, or simply lupus, is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and can damage internal organs, often leading to a number of related health complications. Many times, the patient notices the complications before they are diagnosed with lupus.
Skin (malar or butterfly rash and photosensitivity) and joints are the most common areas of the body affected by lupus, but the disease can have a greater reach, damaging the lungs, kidneys –- even the brain.
Because organ damage can become severe, it is important to know how lupus can affect internal organs. If you suspect you may be suffering from one of the complications below, contact your doctor. The earlier complications are detected, the better they can be treated, reducing the amount of damage that occurs.
Here are some of the more common health conditions related to lupus:
Because of inflammation, a person’s joints are often one of the first complications associated with lupus. Lupus arthritis, as its called, is less destructive and debilitating than rheumatoid arthritis. Still, it causes stiffness, pain, swelling and tenderness in joints in the fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles and more.
Osteonecrosis is a complication associated with a person’s hip joint, but is more often a result of corticosteroid use and not lupus directly.
When lupus affects the kidneys, it’s called lupus nephritis. Lupus nephritis affects the body’s ability to filter waste from the blood. Left unchecked, it can eventually lead to dialysis or the need for kidney replacement. About one-third of lupus patients will develop some form of lupus nephritis.
Lupus can increase blood pressure in the lungs, as well as lead to myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle. Myocarditis can lead to congestive heart failure.
Lupus is connected to atherosclerotic heart disease, or hardening of the arteries, often the cause of heart attack. It is also connected to pericarditis, or inflammation of the thin sac that surrounds the heart.
Inflammation of the lung’s lining is called pleuritis, and it is also a complication associated with lupus.
When lupus affects the [link url]http://lupus.about.com/od/relatedconditions/p/LupCNS.htm]central nervous system[/link], it can lead to a number of complications, from headaches and memory problems to stroke.
Lupus’ tendency to cause inflammation can directly affect the brain blood vessels, leading to high fevers, seizures, psychosis and more.
The pancreas is also susceptible to inflammation (when it happens, its pancreatitis). It’s serious, and must be treated immediately. Signals that you might be suffering pancreatitis include sharp, intense pain at the belly button traveling around to the back, nausea, and fever.
Lupus can lead to abdominal pain, which is often the symptom of a larger issue, vision problems, and depression.
Sources:
How Lupus Affects the Body. Lupus Foundation of America. Collected January 12, 2008.
Patient Information Sheet #5, Serious Conditions Associated With Lupus Lupus: A Patient Care Guide for Nurses and Other Health Professionals 3rd Edition. National institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Revised Sept. 2006.
Lupus: Possible Complications. MedlinePlus. U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Collected January 12, 2008.
