Lupus As the Great Imitator Disease: Wide Range of Symptoms and Multi-Systemic Occurrence - Research Paper Example

 Lupus is a health alteration that aggravates hyperactivity of the body’s immune system attacking normal and healthy tissues. It is sometimes labeled as the “great imitator” disease because of its wide range of symptoms and multi-systemic occurrence which are oftentimes confused with other disorders. Effects of lupus varies from person to person, thus manifestations of symptoms may differ from one person to the other, depending on which body organ is being attacked like a rash symptom prevalent in skin lupus or joint pain if it attacks the joints. This study incorporates important information about lupus as a health alteration, discussing what the disease is all about, who are at risk, basic pathophysiology of the alteration, analogy of the disease process, diagnostic tests, clinical manifestations of symptoms, and the holistic implications of this disorder to the patient. What is Lupus and Its Risk Factors? Lupus is a chronic, life-long and fatal autoimmune disease with unknown cause characterized mainly by inflammation with uncertain remissions and exacerbations manifesting variables of symptoms for it affects multiple organ systems such as skin, joints, nervous system, lungs, kidneys, heart and other body parts (Belmont, 2005). Two major kinds of lupus are (1) the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or SLE which is more common and severe, affecting the internal body organs and (2) the Discoid Lupus Erythematosus or DLE which affects the skin (Hightower, 2009). The disease is more common to women than in men, as to gender risk factor (about 90% of lupus patients are women) due to hormonal factors and usually during childbearing ages. Though rare in children, it can occur to those with thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura, a condition of low blood platelets levels (Borigini and Zieve 2009). As to ethnicity, African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians are more susceptible to the disease compared to Caucasians. Genetics is also another risk factor with 20% likelihood for a person to develop if a sibling is positive with SLE. Other risk factors, according to Borigini and Zieve, include estrogen level shifts in rheumatoid arthritis, drug-induced and smoking. The Pathophysiology of Lupus The exact cause of lupus in understanding its pathophysiology remains to be unidentified but evidence points the complex relationships between immunologic, environmental, hormonal and genetic factors as significant in the development of the disease. In the mechanism of autoimmunity in lupus, normal defenses of the body become self-destructive and consider self-antigens as foreign. Autoimmune reactions are characterized by B-cell hyperactivity and by hypergammaglobulinemia with hormonal and genetic factors having strong influence to the onset of this disorder (Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 2006, p. 244). The authors added that antinuclear antibody (ANA) is produced by the body that destroys its own normal cells and tissues (red blood cells, neutrophils, platelets, and lymphocytes) followed by immune complex disease. Inflammatory reaction then occur s leading to tissue injury and damage. Analogy of the Disease Process An analogy of the lupus disease process can be correlated to the falling leaves. Normally, body cells mature and some will eventually die while other cells are recycled by the system – a process referred to as Apoptosis (Eggleton, 2009). Leaves die and fall, especially during autumn, but it does not mean that the tree itself is dead because when the spring comes the tree will produce new leaves again. Just like our body cells that undergo the natural process of maturity and eventually die or recycled while new cells are born upon which such process does not lead to inflammation. In lupus patients, the alteration comes in the body’s ability to remove dead cells in the blood circulation that slows down. The accumulated dead and dying cells in the blood and organs are now the potential target of immune system hyperactive attack, assuming that these waste cells are foreign to the system (Eggleton, 2009). Diagnostic Tests Diagnostic tests are prescribed by the physician to confirm that the patient is positive with lupus. The first typical lab test usually requested by a physician is the complete blood count (CBC) because this tells much information about the person’s condition. Other typical lab tests include Erythrocyte Sedimentation rate (ESR), urinalysis, blood chemistries, complement levels, antinuclear antibody test (ANA), other autoantibody test (anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anti-Ro, and anti-La), and anticardiolipin antibody test (Jewett-Tenant, 2009). Clinical Manifestations of Symptoms The following clinical symptoms of lupus are based on clinical research studies that were formally documented by physicians, all of which can gradually develop, making the disorder hard to diagnose (Ginzler and Tayar, 2008). Fever, fatigue, and weight loss Multiple joints arthritis lasting for several weeks Butterfly-shaped rash over the cheeks or other rashes Skin rash appearing in areas exposed to the sun Sores in the mouth or nose lasting for more than a month Loss of hair, sometimes in spots or around the hairline Seizures, strokes, and mental disorders (depression) Blood clots or miscarriages Blood or protein in the urine or tests that suggest poor kidney function Low blood counts (anemia, low white blood cells, or low platelets) Chest pain when breathing deeply, heartburn, abdominal pain, and poor circulation to the fingers and toes. Evaluation of a YouTube Video Clip About Lupus There are useful video clips in YouTube with relevance to lupus. One good video clip is entitled “What is Lupus?” by Chandra Hightower (2009), who is herself, a lupus positive patient. The video clip is accurate as it provides list of sources of evidence on the ‘more information’ portion of the video, current as it was uploaded only seven months ago with updated evidences, thus making this video reliable. It is very informative and concise for it tackles various aspects of lupus, discussing what the disease is all about, differentiating its kinds, the causes, diagnosis, symptoms and medical management in only 9:48-minute long video. Clarity is also excellent because the speaker speaks so clearly with voice and speed that is just perfectly audible. The words she used were comprehensible by the general audience plus the provided notations that clarifies the highlights in the video. Holistic Implications Lupus is a disease that cannot be prevented but measures to prevent exacerbation of symptoms can be very useful and there is increasing rate of survival because of improved treatment modalities for this disorder. Considering the holistic implications of lupus, patients are faced with various challenges in life. Physiologically, joint pains and fatigue symptoms are commonly experienced by the patient, thus tolerance to physical activity is controlled. Psychosocially, feelings of depression, hopelessness, irritability or anxiety, and other emotional distress are eminent due to the unpredictability of its remissions and sometimes nonresponsive treatment results, so listening to the patient and acknowledging his/her feelings is of core importance. Developmentally, pregnancy is avoided for young women with very active lupus and those with permissible for pregnancy should be carefully planned with the physician in order not to harm the mother and the baby. Spiritually, as the patient feels hopeless and will power to survive decreases, a positive mental and emotional attitude is encouraged and maintained by focusing on a high source of spiritual strength to be healed. Lastly, in the economic aspect, the patient is more likely to lose income for she/he can no longer or unable to work fulltime due to complications of the disease thus calls for family support. References Belmont, M.H. (2005). Lupus Clinical Overview. An internet article retrieved on October 20, 2009 from Borigini, M.J. and Zieve, D. (2009). Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. VeriMed Healthcare Network. Internet article retrieved on October 21, 2009 from Eggleton, P. (2009). LUPUS a disease of defective waste disposal, but why is it so difficult to diagnose? An internet article retrieved on October 20, 2009 from Ginzler, E. and Tayan J. (2008). Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus). American College of Rheumatology. Internet article retrieved on October 22, 2009 from Hightower, C. (2009). What is Lupus? [Video]. A YouTube video clip retrieved on October 21, 2009 from Jewett-Tenant, J. (2009). Testing for Lupus: Complete Blood Count. About.com, The New York Times Company. Internet article retrieved on October 22, 2009 from Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins (2006). Strategies for Managing Multisystem Disorders. Copyright by Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, United States of America, p. 244. Read More