Unprovoked tired, butterfly-shaped rash on both cheeks, suspected 'lupus' disease
Jul 31, 2024
If you are tired for no reason and suddenly have a red butterfly-shaped rash on both cheeks, it may be a rare disease 'lupus', not a skin disease.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its body tissues. Fatal complications can occur if the immune system attacks major organs.
Recently, the prevalence rate in Korea has been on the rise, and it is estimated that about 10,000 to 2.5 million people suffer from lupus. It occurs mainly in women aged 15 to 45, and women have an incidence rate about nine times higher than that of men.
The most common form of lupus is systemic lupus erythematosus. Fatigue and fever appear for no reason, joint swelling and pain, and butterfly-shaped skin rash on both cheeks may appear. Damage to various body organs such as the kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain can lead to death by developing respiratory complications such as kidney failure, heart disease such as coronary artery disease, pneumonia, anemia, leukocyte, thrombocytopenia, and stroke. About 50% of lupus patients are known to experience kidney-related complications such as lupus nephritis.
The cause of lupus is not yet known, but it is known that it is caused by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. It is more common in women, and lupus symptoms may worsen during hormonal changes such as pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. Environmental factors include excessive exposure to sunlight, infection with certain viruses or bacteria such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and lupus can develop or worsen when exposed to certain drugs. Microbial imbalance in the gastrointestinal tract, which accounts for the majority of our body's immune system, is also considered one of the main causes.
To diagnose lupus, clinical symptoms and multiple test results must be considered comprehensively. If four or more of the 11 diagnostic criteria presented by the American Rheumatology Society are satisfied, it is diagnosed as lupus. The main criteria are butterfly-type rash, disk-type rash, photosensitivity, oral ulcer, arthritis, enteritis, kidney disease, neurological disease, hematologic disorder, immunological disorder, and antinuclear antibody.
Lupus treatment is customized according to the patient's symptoms, disease severity, and affected organ. It mainly applies symptomatic treatment and treatment that suppresses disease progression. Drug treatments include various drug treatments such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-malaria drugs, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants, and new treatments such as JAK inhibitors and interferon antibodies have recently been used.
Jeong Seong-soo, a professor of rheumatology at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, said "It is known that the risk of complications increases when a woman with lupus becomes pregnant. However, we can have a sufficiently healthy pregnancy and childbirth through proper management and treatment such as pre-pregnancy counseling and planning, regular monitoring, and drug management."
A healthy diet, regular exercise, sufficient rest and sleep, stress management, UV protection, smoking cessation and abstinence, and regular medical counseling and checkups are recommended for the life management of lupus patients. You should maintain muscle strength and reduce fatigue through light aerobic and low-intensity muscle exercise. It is recommended to reduce the intake of processed foods, flour foods, dairy products, simple high-sugar foods, fast foods, and high-salt foods, and to consume vegetables, fish, and whole grains.
Professor Jeong Seong-soo "Lupus is currently difficult to cure, but it can be effectively managed through drug treatment, lifestyle improvement, regular monitoring and effective treatment plans. In particular, the survival rate of systemic lupus erythematosus in the last five years is about 90-95%. Close cooperation between patients and doctors is important because symptoms vary from patient to patient and treatment response is different."
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its body tissues. Fatal complications can occur if the immune system attacks major organs.
Recently, the prevalence rate in Korea has been on the rise, and it is estimated that about 10,000 to 2.5 million people suffer from lupus. It occurs mainly in women aged 15 to 45, and women have an incidence rate about nine times higher than that of men.
The most common form of lupus is systemic lupus erythematosus. Fatigue and fever appear for no reason, joint swelling and pain, and butterfly-shaped skin rash on both cheeks may appear. Damage to various body organs such as the kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain can lead to death by developing respiratory complications such as kidney failure, heart disease such as coronary artery disease, pneumonia, anemia, leukocyte, thrombocytopenia, and stroke. About 50% of lupus patients are known to experience kidney-related complications such as lupus nephritis.
The cause of lupus is not yet known, but it is known that it is caused by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. It is more common in women, and lupus symptoms may worsen during hormonal changes such as pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. Environmental factors include excessive exposure to sunlight, infection with certain viruses or bacteria such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and lupus can develop or worsen when exposed to certain drugs. Microbial imbalance in the gastrointestinal tract, which accounts for the majority of our body's immune system, is also considered one of the main causes.
To diagnose lupus, clinical symptoms and multiple test results must be considered comprehensively. If four or more of the 11 diagnostic criteria presented by the American Rheumatology Society are satisfied, it is diagnosed as lupus. The main criteria are butterfly-type rash, disk-type rash, photosensitivity, oral ulcer, arthritis, enteritis, kidney disease, neurological disease, hematologic disorder, immunological disorder, and antinuclear antibody.
Lupus treatment is customized according to the patient's symptoms, disease severity, and affected organ. It mainly applies symptomatic treatment and treatment that suppresses disease progression. Drug treatments include various drug treatments such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-malaria drugs, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants, and new treatments such as JAK inhibitors and interferon antibodies have recently been used.
Jeong Seong-soo, a professor of rheumatology at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, said "It is known that the risk of complications increases when a woman with lupus becomes pregnant. However, we can have a sufficiently healthy pregnancy and childbirth through proper management and treatment such as pre-pregnancy counseling and planning, regular monitoring, and drug management."
A healthy diet, regular exercise, sufficient rest and sleep, stress management, UV protection, smoking cessation and abstinence, and regular medical counseling and checkups are recommended for the life management of lupus patients. You should maintain muscle strength and reduce fatigue through light aerobic and low-intensity muscle exercise. It is recommended to reduce the intake of processed foods, flour foods, dairy products, simple high-sugar foods, fast foods, and high-salt foods, and to consume vegetables, fish, and whole grains.
Professor Jeong Seong-soo "Lupus is currently difficult to cure, but it can be effectively managed through drug treatment, lifestyle improvement, regular monitoring and effective treatment plans. In particular, the survival rate of systemic lupus erythematosus in the last five years is about 90-95%. Close cooperation between patients and doctors is important because symptoms vary from patient to patient and treatment response is different."
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bellho@sportschosun.com
