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Lupus

Adult Primary Care, Bioidentical Hormone Specialists, IV Vitamin Infusion & Rheumatology located in Cullman, AL

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Lupus services offered in Cullman, AL

Lupus, an autoimmune disorder that causes widespread inflammation, can result in multiple complications. If you have lupus symptoms, visit Warehouse Primary Care & Specialty Clinic in Cullman, Alabama. The experienced team members provide the most effective and innovative lupus treatments, helping you avoid serious problems like inflamed lung, heart, and blood vessel tissues. To benefit from advanced lupus treatment, call Warehouse Primary Care & Specialty Clinic today or book an appointment online.

Lupus Q & A

What is lupus?

Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE) is a chronic inflammatory condition. Inflammation can develop in your joints and organs, including your skin, lungs, brain, heart, and kidneys, causing symptoms such as:

  • Joint pain
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Fever
  • Unintended weight loss
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Skin rashes
  • Appetite loss
  • Photosensitivity
  • Swelling (edema)
  • Hair loss

Lupus can also cause a rash on your face shaped like a butterfly.

What complications might lupus cause?

Common lupus complications include:

Pleuritis

The pleura is a thin layer of tissue lining your chest wall and lungs. Pleuritis (pleura inflammation) causes acute chest pain that’s worse when you breathe.

Pericarditis

The pericardium is the sac surrounding your heart. Pericarditis (pericardium inflammation) can affect your heart function.

Sjögren’s syndrome

Sjögren’s syndrome causes dryness and irritation of mucous membranes in places like your mouth and eyes.

Vasculitis

Vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation) makes your blood vessels thicker, narrower, or weaker. It can result in scarring and damage your organs.

Scleroderma

Scleroderma is a tightening of your skin and connective tissues.

Lupus causes mild problems for some patients but is potentially life-threatening for others. Your symptoms might worsen at times (a flare-up) and improve at others (remission).

Why would I have lupus?

Lupus is an immune system disease that occurs because of a flaw that makes your body turn on itself (autoimmune disorder).

When organisms that might harm you, like viruses and bacteria, enter your body, your immune system identifies them. It produces antibodies in your white blood cells that destroy the invaders, helping you get better and protecting you from future infection.

When you have an autoimmune disorder, the immune system attacks healthy cells in your body just as it would a bacteria or virus. 

With Type 1 diabetes, it’s cells that produce insulin in your pancreas; with rheumatoid arthritis, it’s cells in the joint linings. With lupus, the damage occurs throughout your body.

How is lupus treated?

Lupus is incurable, but the providers at Warehouse Primary Care & Specialty Clinic use their expertise in chronic disease management to help you live well with your condition.

They might prescribe antimalarial drugs, such as hydroxychloroquine, to reduce your symptoms, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to control pain and inflammation. If NSAIDs aren’t effective, you might need powerful steroid anti-inflammatories.

If you have severe lupus, you might benefit from immunosuppressant medication to calm your body’s immune system overreaction. Another possibility is belimumab, a biological therapy that suppresses the production of antibodies.

These treatments, along with healthy diet and lifestyle changes, relieve many lupus symptoms and reduce your risk of suffering organ damage.

If lupus symptoms are affecting you, call Warehouse Primary Care & Specialty Clinic or book an appointment online today.