Probable Causes of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, SLE
SLE is a disease with autoimmune character: the body's healthy tissues are attacked and damaged by the immune system; it is not contagious.
What exactly generates lupus? Specialists haven't managed to find the exact cause of this disease, but they found out that the autoimmune reactions may be linked to a series of factors. These factors that vary widely from one person to another increase the predisposition of some people for lupus.
The lupus' possible triggers are:
- * Solar exposure, which not only functions as a trigger, but also worsens the symptoms of the already existing lupus.
- * Hormonal factors increase the risk of lupus, but the exact process hasn't been discovered yet. It was impossible for researchers to obtain concluding proof that prolactin or estrogen trigger lupus.
- * Chemicals, such as silica dust and trichloroethylene seem to be related to lupus. The previously accused triggers, hair dyes and straighteners have been released from the accusations.
- * Genetic abnormalities may influence the hormones, cell functions and even the immune system. Multiple combined genetic defects increase a person's predisposition to develop lupus.
- * Infections with parvovirus, hepatitis C and cytomegalovirus put patients at increased risks for lupus. Juvenile lupus seems to have a close connection with the Epstein – Barr virus.
- * Certain drugs are thought to encourage not only the development of lupus but also the relapses.
Are you at risk to develop SLE?
Lupus belongs to the class of the autoimmune diseases, in which the malfunction of the immune system causes the antibodies designed to fight bacteria and viruses to attack the organism's own healthy tissues.
Lupus is not contagious. It has no relationship with AIDS and it is not a form of cancer.
You are at increased risk for SLE in the following cases:
- * You have between 15 and 40 years of age.
- * You are a woman.
- * You have relatives affected by lupus.
- * You are black or Asian.
- * You take medicines that cause drugs – induced lupus.
There are different study results concerning the influence of estrogen on the predisposition of a woman for lupus. What makes this so difficult to determine is the fact that lupus affects women at their highest levels of estrogen (during pregnancy), but also women at their post menopause, when their estrogen has low levels. The risk of lupus cannot be increased by contraceptives or hormone replacement therapies.
Lupus exerts damaging actions over more than two body parts. It has a chameleonic nature: one patient may experience fever and kidney trouble; another patient may have inflamed knees and rashes, some others may experience a permanent fatigue. The disease affects also the skin, the articulations, the lungs, the kidney, the brain and the heart. But no patient experiences all the possible symptoms together.
Lupus cannot be treated. However, the symptoms and the evolution may be kept under control. There are two components, in order to achieve that: the patient should take good care of himself/ herself through sufficient rest, staying out of the light of sun and exercises; the other component consists in the actual treatment involving antimalarials and NSAIDs, which help in the management of the symptoms.
In case of extremely severe symptoms and very high risks of vital organs damage, corticosteroids and immunosuppressants are prescribed.