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Lupus and the Needle
Published in Yair Neuman, How to Find a Needle in a Haystack, 2023
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that our immune system, which is supposed to defend our body from threats, starts to attack the body's own tissues and organs. We can think about autoimmune disease in terms of a deep misunderstanding, where for some reason the immune system fails to differentiate between friend and foe or to recognize real enemies. As a result of this misunderstanding, the immune system starts to attack its own body. Lupus is one such autoimmune disease. It is a vicious condition (mainly affecting women) that attacks the organs and tissues. Despite the visual sign that gave the disease its name – the lupus facial rash – it is difficult to diagnose. In fact, it is so difficult to diagnose that it is difficult to estimate the prevalence of the most common form of this disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). This is the case because the symptoms significantly vary between individuals, change over time, and overlap with the signs and symptoms of other diseases. As you can see, this is a medical context where the needle challenge seems an apt concept, and we may gain some relevant lessons by delving deeper into the difficulty of diagnosing lupus.
Lupus Nephritis
Published in Richard K. Burt, Alberto M. Marmont, Stem Cell Therapy for Autoimmune Disease, 2019
Corticosteroids are the most frequently prescribed drugs for the treatment of lupus, but are not without significant concerns. Long-term use is associated with numerous complications including osteoporosis, avascular necrosis of bone, cataracts and atherosclerosis. Multiple studies have shown, moreover, that monotherapy is not as effective in more severe renal disease as is a combination with cytotoxic agents.43-45 Mesangial proliferation and some mild forms of proliferative lupus, however, may respond to steroids alone. To minimize the complications of long-term use, prednisone is tapered to an alternate-day regimen and the lowest possible maintenance dose is established as soon as there is evidence of remission. In patients with severe active disease who develop acute renal failure, initial steroid therapy may be high dose intravenous pulse methylprednisolone (0.5 to 1g × 3 days), which can produce a rapid improvement.46
Application of Data Mining Techniques in Autoimmune Diseases Research and Treatment
Published in Shampa Sen, Leonid Datta, Sayak Mitra, Machine Learning and IoT, 2018
Sweta Bhattacharya, Sombuddha Sengupta
Lupus is a debilitating disease, where the body targets a wide variety of its own cells and organs. It can attack the joints, skin, kidney, heart, brain, lung, etc. Lupus is more common in females than males and statistics have shown that African American women are more prone to it than other ethnicities such as Caucasian or Asian. Hispanic women have been documented to present a more severe form of this disease.39 Several kinds of lupus exist and their categorizations are given as follows:39Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): The most common form of lupus; it can affect many parts of the body. It can manifest in a severe or a mild form.Discoid lupus: These give rise to red rashes that do not fade or go away.Subacute cutaneous lupus: Results in sores when the body has been exposed to sunlight.Drug induced lupus: Certain medicines can cause an immune response inside the body. These symptoms usually go away after medication intake stops.Neonatal lupus: It is an extremely rare case of lupus and affects newborns due to antibodies present in the mother.
Case series: rheumatological manifestations attributed to exposure to Libby Asbestiform Amphiboles
Published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 2018
Roger Diegel, Brad Black, Jean C. Pfau, Tracy McNew, Curtis Noonan, Raja Flores
The patient developed oral ulcers in 1997. The patient stated he developed problematic joint pain in 2014. He had some arthralgias prior to 2014, including neck pain that developed in 2011. The patient started developing some swelling in his DIP and PIP joints, and started developing pleurisy in 2015. The patient did have a positive ANA test with a positive double stranded DNA antibody in February 2016 and was sent to see a rheumatologist. The patient was diagnosed with lupus with symptoms of joint pain and swelling in his peripheral joints, oral and nasal ulcers and pleurisy. Other lab tests included negative rheumatoid factor and the remaining of the ENA antibodies were negative. X-rays of his hands revealed no erosions, but did show some osteoarthritic changes in his first IP joints and 5th DIP joints. The patient was started on hydroxychloroquine (Plaquinil) 200 mg b.i.d. and the oral ulcers, nasal ulcers, pleurisy and joint pain greatly improved.