Kemi Afolabi, the
Nigerian actress, recently revealed she is battling lupus, which is said to be
an incurable and life-threatening disease. Speaking about her health in a
recent interview, the movie star also disclosed that her doctor said shehas five more years to live.
WHAT IS LUPUS?
Lupus, also known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is
a noncontagious autoimmune disease that occurs when your body’s immune system
attacks your own tissues and organs.
Normally, your immune system is to protect your body from infection. But when you have lupus, your immune system attacks your own tissues which further leads to tissue damage and illness.
While there’s no cure for lupus, research indicates
that it affects one in 537 young African-American women.
Another research also
says 20 percent of people with lupus develop the condition before the age of 20
with the risk higher in women.
It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans,
and at least five million people worldwide, have a form of lupus.
WHAT CAUSES LUPUS?
While the cause of lupus is currently unknown, a report says
it might result from a combination of your genetics and your environment.
“It appears that people with an inherited predisposition for
lupus may develop the disease when they come into contact with something in the
environment that can trigger lupus,” it adds.
Lupus may develop in response to the following factors;
- Sex
A study states
that females between the ages of 15 and 44 years are nine times more likely to
have lupus than males.
Another research also
suggests that exposure to estrogen makes females more at risk. Females tend to
produce more estrogen — a sex hormone — than males.
Females tend
to experience more symptoms of lupus before menstruation and during pregnancy
due to high estrogen levels.
- Genetic
factors
A study says there is a 5-13 percent chance of developing lupus if a family member has the ailment. However, lupus can also happen in people with no family history of the disease.
- Environment
Some certain environmental
factors can trigger the development of lupus
such as chemicals or viruses. Smoking, exposure to sunlight, infections, and
pollutants are also examples of environmental agents that can trigger the
disease.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF LUPUS?
Lupus can affect different areas of the body. However, the
disease has a wide range of symptoms and it varies from one person to another.
- Fever
- Skin
rashes
- Unusual
hair loss
- Muscle
and joint pain
- Mouth
ulcer
- Fatigue
- Seizures
- pale or purple fingers
or toes due to cold or stress, known as Raynaud’s disease
- Headaches
and many more are possible symptoms.
Lupus can also affect organs and systems like kidneys,
lungs, blood, blood vessels, the central nervous system, and also the heart.
HOW CAN LUPUS BE PREVENTED?
As mentioned earlier, lupus is not curable. However, there
are treatments for lupus.
The treatments are to reduce inflammation and protect organs
from damage and prevent flare-ups. The treatments also vary depending on the
extent of inflammation, age, and conditions of the organs.
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