Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) may also be called the disease with 1000 faces. It has a wide variety of symptoms and signs. It can affect almost any system. Basically, the most common symptoms can be listed as skin rashes, arthritis, changes in blood table, especially anemia, decline in the functions of vital organs such as kidney, liver, heart and lungs, neurological findings and psychiatric disorders. It is a disease that changes the quality of life greatly and can be fatal if it is left untreated and tried to be managed. It is in the group of chronic diseases. It takes a long time for symptoms to develop and be treated.
Cause
The immune system (immune system), which is our body's defense system, is activated without an external stimulus and initiates an inflammatory reaction by attacking body cells to which it normally tolerates. with the emergence of clinical symptoms. The basic pathology is that the production of antibodies, which we call the humoral part of the immune system, is more intense, and when body proteins and these produced antibodies combine, protein compounds called immune complexes are formed, which precipitate in the organs and initiate the inflammatory response. Many molecules, proteins, etc. are involved at the micro level. The underlying genetic predisposition is modified by the influence of hormones and the disease begins with the triggering of environmental factors. For this reason, some people develop the disease in childhood and others in middle age
Impact on health
The incidence of SLE It is between 40-50 per 100,000 people. The disease is more common in women. The disease also progresses more severely in black people.
Diagnosis
Prodromal symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, weight loss, hair loss, as well as sun-triggered cheeks. It can reach the diagnosis stage with the appearance of a wide variety of findings such as red rashes on the back of the nose, aphthous ulcerated wounds in the mouth and nose, symmetrical arthritis in the hand joints, kidney involvement, arrhythmia, shortness of breath, epilepsy crisis, numbness, weakness, etc. Sometimes they may have very atypical findings. For this reason, diagnosing lupus and planning its treatment should be done by rheumatology specialists who are trained in internal diseases. It is very important that the job is managed by physicians. Since the disease affects many systems, a multidisciplinary approach and follow-up and evaluation by more than one physician may be required.
The ANA test is the basic test in the laboratory, but ENA, anti DS DNA, RF, CCP, C3, C4, sediment CRP hemogram biochemistry, etc. are tests used to reach the diagnosis and make a differential diagnosis.
Treatment
In treatment, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), especially steroids, are used.
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