Systemic lupus erythematosus

It is an autoimmune disease. The body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. It can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, brain and other organs.

The autoimmune cause is not completely known, although it can also be caused by certain drugs. It is much more common in women than in men. It can occur at any age.

Its characteristic symptoms are swelling, joint pain, chest pain when breathing deeply, fatigue, fever without any other cause, general malaise, restlessness, hair loss, mouth ulcers, sensitivity to sunlight, skin rash, and swollen lymph nodes. Other symptoms depend on which part of the body is affected, such as headaches, numbness, tingling, seizures, vision problems, and personality changes, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), coughing up blood and difficulty breathing, uneven skin color, fingers that change color when it's cold (Raynaud's phenomenon), swelling in the legs, and weight gain.

The diagnosis would be made through medical history, complete physical examination, blood and urine tests with determination of specific markers, chest X-ray, and in some cases kidney tissue analysis will be required.

The treatment will depend on the involvement of organs and systems and the severity of these manifestations. The objective is to maintain general measures (sun protection, balanced diet, physical exercise, no smoking) and control of symptoms with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antimalarials, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive drugs, anticoagulants and/or biological drugs.