Lupus, Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.

I really want to do a post about the 3 Autoimmune Disease I have, to help ya'll understand them better, and know what I am going through.

Lupus

What is Lupus?
Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of your body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). In Lupus. something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria and germs. Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoiumme means your immune system can't tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body's heathy tissue ("auto" means "self") and create autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. So basically your body is fighting it's self. Lupus is also a disease of flares (the symptoms worsen and you feel ill) and remissions (the symptoms improve and you feel better) Lupus can range from mild to life-threatening and should always be treated by a doctor. Lupus is not contagious, not even though sexual contact. Lupus is not like cancer or related to cancer. Lupus is not like or related to HIV or AIDS. At least 1.5 million Americans have Lupus. The actual number may be higher, however, there have been no large-scale studies to show the actual number of people in the U.S. living with Lupus. Lupus strikes mostly woman of childbeaing age (15-44) However, men, children and teenagers develops Lupus too.

What causes Lupus
No gene or group of genes has been proven to cause Lupus. Lupus does, however appear in certain families. Although Lupus can develop in people with no family history of Lupus, there are likely to be other autoimmune diseases in some family members.

Forms of Lupus
There are 4 types of Lupus, I have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) SLE is the most common form of Lupus, and is what most people mean when they refer to "Lupus" SLE can be mild or severe. Some of the most serious complications involving major organs systems are:

• inflammation of the kidneys, which can affect the body's ability to filter waste from the blood and can be so damaging that dialysis or kidney transplant may be needed.
• an increase in blood pressure in the lungs.
• inflammation of the nervous system and brain, which can cause memory problems, confusion, headaches and strokes.
• inflammation in the brain's blood vessel, which can cause high fevers, sizures behavioral chances.
• hardening of arteries, which is a buildup of deposits on coronay artery walls that can lead to a heart attack.

There is more that it can effect, but I'm trying to keep this short, And I am not going to go into the other 3 forms of Lupus, because I don't have them, at least not that I know of.

The Symptoms of Lupus
Because Lupus can affect so many different organs, a wide range of symptoms can occur. These symptoms may come and go, and different symptoms may appear at different times during the course of the disease.
The most common symptoms of Lupus, which are in the same for Females and Males.

• extreme fatigue
• headaches
• painful and/or swollen joints and stiffness
  
• muscle pain
  
• fever
• anemia
• swelling in feet, legs, hands, and/or around eyes.
• chest pain
• shortness of breath
  
• butterfly shaped rash across the cheeks and nose
• sun or light-sensitivity
• hair loss
• abnormal blood clotting
• fingers turning white and/or blue when cold
• Pale or purple fingers or toes
• mouth or nose ulcers
• Swollen glands
• dizziness
• depression
• confusion
• seizures.
• easy bruising
• skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure
• dry eyes
• anxiety
  
• memory loss

There are more symptoms but these are the most common.

Other illness you could get by having Lupus

• heart disease
• lung disease
• kidney disease and kidney failure
• skin and joint disease
• Leukemia
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Nervous System disease

Did you know more people have Lupus than AIDS??


Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome

What is Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome? (APS)
Anitphosphoslipid Antibody Syndrome is an autoimmune disorder. In APS, the body mistakenly makes antibodies that attack phospholipids-a type of fat. Phospholipids are found in all living cells and cell membranes, including blood cells and the lining of blood vessels. When antibodies attack phospholipids, they damage cells. This causes unwanted blood clots to form in the body's arteries and veins. Usually blood clotting is a normal bodily process. Blood clots help seal small cuts or breaks and prevent you from losing too much blood. In APS, howeber too much blood clotting can block blood flow and damage the body's organs. Some people have APS anitboies, but don't ever have signs or symptoms. APS can leand to a number of health problems and even death. Such as stroke, heart attack, kidney damage, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or pregnancy-related problems. Pregnancy related problems may include multiple miscarriages, a miscarriage late in the pregnancy or a premature birth due to eclampsia. People who have APS also are at a higher risk of Thrombocytopenia. This condition in which your blood has a low number of blood cells called platelets. This can lead to mild to serious bleeding. In APS, thrombocytopenia occurs because the platelets are used up by the clotting process or because antibodies destroy them. In some cases, APS can be fatal. This may occur due to large blood clots or blood clots in the heart, lungs, or brain. APS can affect people of any age. However it's more common in woman and people who have other autoimmune or rheumatic disorders, such as Lupus. ("Rheumatic" refers to disorders that affect the joints, bones, or muscles.) APS has no cure, but medicines can help prevent its complications. Medicines are used to stop blood clots from forming and keep existing clots from getting larger. Treatment for the disorder is long term. If you have APS and another autoimmune disorder, it’s important to control that condition as well. When the other condition is controlled, APS may cause fewer problems.


Fibromyalgia

What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a common condition characterized by long-term, body-wide pain and tender points in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Fibromyalgia has also been linked to fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep problems, headaches, numbness in hands and feet, depression, and anxiety.Fibromyalgia can develop on its own or along with other musculoskeletal conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

The symptoms of Fibromyalgia
The overwhelming characteristic of fibromyalgia is long-standing, body-wide pain with defined tender points. Tender points are distinct from trigger points seen in other pain syndromes. Unlike tender points, trigger points can occur in isolation and represent a source of radiating pain, even in the absence of direct pressure. Fibromyalgia pain can mimic the pain that occurs with various types of arthritis. However, the significant swelling, destruction, and deformity of joints seen in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis does not occur with fibromyalgia syndrome alone. The soft-tissue pain of fibromyalgia is described as deep-aching, radiating, gnawing, shooting or burning, and ranges from mild to severe. Fibromyalgia sufferers tend to wake up with body aches and stiffness. For some patients, pain improves during the day and increases again during the evening, though many patients with fibromyalgia have day-long, unrelenting pain. Pain can increase with activity, cold or damp weather, anxiety, and stress.

Specific symptoms:

• body aches
• chronic facial muscle pain or aching
• fatigue
• irritable bowel syndrome
• memory difficulties and cognitive diffculties
• multiple tender areas (muscle and joint pain) on the back of the neck, shoulders, sternum, lower back, hips, shines, elbows, kness
• numbness and tingling
• palpitations
• reduced exercise tolerance
• sleep disturbances
  
• tension or migraine headaches

Although the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, researchers have several theories about the causes or triggers of fibromyalgia. Some scientists believe that the syndrome may be caused by an injury or trauma. This injury may affect the central nervous system. Fibromyalgia may be associated with changes in muscle metabolism, such as decreased blood flow, causing fatigue and decreased strength. Others believe the syndrome may be triggered by an infectious agent such as a virus in susceptible people, but no such agent has been identified. Some think Fibromyalgia is not an autoimmune disease, although many people believe it to be. There may be some evidence that FM has an autoimmune component to it. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of concrete evidence to support and validate that notion yet. Fibromyalgia is difficult to diagnose because many of the symptoms mimic those of other diseases.

There is a ton of more info about these, but I did not want to be writing this post ALL night, LOL. So I hope this info can help you understand a little better of what I go through daily.