Every year, on May 10th, World Lupus Day is celebrated, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects millions of individuals worldwide. The aim of the day is to raise awareness about lupus and its effects on people and communities among the general public, medical professionals, and policymakers. Additionally, it gives those living with lupus the chance to connect and share stories about their struggles.What is lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease; the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells, causing pain, fever, rashes, organ damage, and other symptoms. The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that over 5 million people live with the condition, which affects each person differently, making lupus difficult to treat and particularly challenging to diagnose.
A survey showed that it can take an average of six years to diagnose lupus from the time someone starts showing symptoms, according to the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). This delay can have devastating consequences for individuals.
Lupus primarily affects women, especially women of color, most frequently between the ages of 15 and 44.
The most common symptoms of lupus include extreme fatigue, hair loss, mylar rash (also called butterfly rash on the face), joint pain, swelling in the hands and feet, and fever.
There is currently no cure for lupus.
A challenging treatment landscape
Lupus can be managed once identified. However, treatment remains challenging. In the past seven decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved three specific therapies for lupus.
The development of lupus medications is lagging compared to other therapies mainly due to the complexity and variations of the disease.
Source: CNN