May is Lupus Awareness Month! Lupus is a disease that many may have heard of but don’t really fully understand. Rightfully so — lupus is a mind boggling disease. The symptoms mimic those of other conditions and are slow to onset. The word “lupus” means “wolf” in Latin. This makes sense because lupus victims grow lesions on the face, changing their appearance is if they were bitten by a wolf.
According to the Lupus Foundation of America, lupus is “a chronic (long-term) disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of your body. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that your immune system – a complex network of cells that usually fights infections – attacks healthy tissue instead.” A majority of lupus patients are women and it is normally diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 44. It disproportionately affects women of African, Asian, Hispanic/Latina, Native American, or Pacific Islander descent.
Lupus is a very unique disease because lupus symptoms can either improve overtime or symptoms can affect one negatively as they age.. The following is a list of the negative effects during the aging process:
- The onset of osteoporosis is much more common with those with lupus. This is due to lupus being associated with bone loss due to medications and low vitamin D. Continued use of Vitamin D3 supplements can reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis in the future and therefore prevent complications with falls and fracturing bones.
- Managing chronic pain can become difficult if medications like Advil and Tylenol have been used heavily in the past and may cause kidney or gastrointestinal complications.
- Cumulative damage on joints and other supporting tissues can cause additional need for physical therapy or other interventions such as replacement surgery.
There are also people who have experienced more positive results with lupus in aging and their experiences, which include:
- Symptom activity such as inflammation and chronic pain may decrease with age. It is not known why, but some may say that lupus activity is correlated with hormones and with age, the activity with hormones decreases.
- Seniors are less likely to suffer from lupus nephritis (kidney damage due to lupus).
- Lupus will be able to go into remission at any age. However, the lupus activity will still fluctuate.
At any age, lupus is a tough disease to cope with due to its unpredictable nature. Lupus is invisible, so one may never know when someone has lupus until it is diagnosed. To find out how you can join the fight against Lupus, visit The Lupus Foundation of America. If you or your elderly loved one is in need of further assistance, WellPath Partners offers many different resources including help with long-term care insurance and assisted living placement.
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By: Leila Lagandaon
Placement Coordinator at WellPath Partners
B.S. in Health Science, California State University, Long Beach
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