Lupus Research Papers

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Paula Welch Biology 106 Jennifer McCoy, MS Research Paper 11/23/2010 LUPUS Lupus is a disorder of the immune system that most commonly affects women in their 20’sand 30’s. There is no cure for lupus, but doctors and scientist are doing what they can to find one. Though lupus is often thought as a women disease, men get lupus too. Lupus is an auto-immune disease. This means there is a problem with the body’s normal immune system response. In patients with an autoimmune disease, the immune system can’t tell the difference between harmful substances and healthy ones. The result is an overactive immune response that attacks otherwise healthy cells and tissue, leading to chronic inflammation. Lupus is diagnosed through blood test. Lupus is a tricky disease…show more content…
The common test performed is the anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) blood test, if the ANA test comes back positive and the patient is showing signs and symptoms common to lupus like hair loss, mouth ulcers, swollen glands, anemia, chest pain, depression, confusion, seizures and a butterfly rash across the cheeks and nose. The seriousness of how the body is affected varies from person to person. Treatment for lupus is aimed at controlling the symptoms. A mild case of lupus that involves a rash, fever, arthritis, pleurisy, requires little therapy. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) are used to treat arthritis and pleurisy. Costicosteroids creams used to treat skin rashes, an anti-malaria drug called Plaquenil and low dose corticosteroids are sometimes used for skin and arthritis symptoms. This auto-immune disease can affect almost every organ in the body causing a variety of health complications. Another interest surrounding the issue of treating lupus is diet. No processed sugars and other high glycemic starches because they increase inflammation. Salmon and other fish’s high in omegs 3’s.

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