Today: World Lupus Day

Please take time to read the below about Lupus.  I didn't realize today was World Lupus Day until I logged on to Facebook to see my friend, Heather's, status.  Nine out of ten people diagnosed with Lupus are women.  My dear friend, Heather, and my dear friend's, Danielle,  mom have Lupus.  I never knew the pain and struggles that comes along with this disease until meeting these two people in grad school.  Please take time today to read the symptoms and think of those who deal and overcome this disease daily.

Heather!

"Every day, more than 5 million people worldwide struggle with the often debilitating health consequences of lupus, a potentially fatal autoimmune disease capable of damaging virtually any part of the body, including the skin, heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain.
Nine out of ten people with lupus are women. Eighty percent of new lupus cases are diagnosed among women ages 15 to 44, striking at the peak of their reproductive and career potential. A merciless predator, lupus permanently disables many young women.
In an autoimmune disorder like lupus, the immune system is not able to tell the difference between foreign substances (called antigens) and its own cells and tissues. The immune system then makes antibodies directed against "self." These antibodies -- called "auto-antibodies" (auto means 'self') –- attack the body's own cells and cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.
Inflammation is considered the primary feature of lupus. Inflammation, which in Latin means "set on fire," is characterized by pain, heat, redness, swelling and loss of function, either on the inside or on the outside of the body (or both). Uncontrolled inflammation can permanently damage vital organs.
In its most severe form, lupus can cause disfiguring rashes and scarring, multiple miscarriages, kidney, heart and lung failure, impaired neurological function, strokes, heart attacks and death.
Lupus also complicates and limits the treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Many people with lupus are unable to maintain employment or attend school because of extended lupus-related absences and hospitalizations. A majority of those affected must live with debilitating pain and profound fatigue which greatly affects their quality of life.
For some, memory and mental processing may be impaired, rendering simple tasks, such as recalling names or balancing a checkbook, as significant challenges. There is always the ever-present threat of a flare -- the sudden onset of more serious symptoms.
Despite its enormous public health implications, lupus remains a dangerously under-recognized and under-appreciated women's health issue."