Age. Although lupus affects people of all ages, it's most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 45. Race. Lupus is more common in African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans.

Who is most likely to get lupus?

SLE can affect people of all ages, including children. However, women of childbearing ages—15 to 44 years—are at greatest risk of developing SLE. Women of all ages are affected far more than men (estimates range from 4 to 12 women for every 1 man). Learn more about lupus in women.

What are the top 10 signs of lupus?

Top 10 Most Common Lupus Symptoms Include:

• Achy or swollen joints (arthralgia)
• Unexplained fever (more than 100° F)
• Swollen joints (arthritis)
• Prolonged or extreme fatigue.
• Skin rash, including a butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose.
• Pain in the chest when breathing deeply (pleurisy)
• Hair loss.

What factors trigger lupus?

Unfortunately, exactly what causes lupus isn't known. Scientists believe it's triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as medications, infections and stress. They also believe that there is a link between the female hormone estrogen and lupus.

What are my chances of getting lupus?

Your family history.

Relatives of people with lupus have a 5-13 percent chance of developing lupus. However, only about 5 percent of children will develop lupus if their mother has it.

Lupus Awareness Month: Who is at Risk

What are the 11 symptoms of lupus?

Eleven common symptoms of lupus include:

• Extreme fatigue.
• Joint pain or swelling.
• Swelling in the hands, feet, or around the eyes.
• Fever.
• Headache.
• Sensitivity to light.
• Chest pain when inhaling deeply caused by inflammation in the lining of the lungs.
• Butterfly-shaped rash on the cheeks and nose.

What age does lupus usually start?

Age. Although lupus affects people of all ages, it's most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 45. Race. Lupus is more common in African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans.

How can you avoid getting lupus?

Exposure to UV rays from sunlight and other light sources can trigger flares in many people with lupus. Staying out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., applying sunscreen every day, and wearing sun-protective clothing can prevent UV rays from triggering a lupus flare.

Is lupus caused by stress?

Some people say that a stressful event happened right before their first lupus flare. Although doctors haven't proven that stress is a direct cause of lupus, it's known to trigger flare-ups in people who already have the disease. Stressful events that can make symptoms worse include: A death in the family.

What is lupus pain like?

Lupus can also cause inflammation in the joints, which doctors call “inflammatory arthritis.” It can make your joints hurt and feel stiff, tender, warm, and swollen. Lupus arthritis most often affects joints that are farther from the middle of your body, like your fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and toes.

What were your first signs of lupus?

Fatigue, fever, joint pain and weight changes are usually the first signs of lupus. Some adults may have a period of SLE symptoms known as flares, which may occur frequently, sometimes even years apart and resolve at other times—called remission. Other symptoms include: Sun sensitivity.

What is the life expectancy for lupus?

For people with lupus, some treatments can increase the risk of developing potentially fatal infections. However, the majority of people with lupus can expect a normal or near-normal life expectancy. Research has shown that many people with a lupus diagnosis have been living with the disease for up to 40 years.

Does lupus run in families?

While the survey of nearly 6,000 participants did not find new genetic factors causing lupus as hoped, the study confirmed that lupus can run in many families.

Is lupus inherited from mother or father?

Lupus can be hereditary in both men and women.

Can you have lupus for years and not know it?

Lupus symptoms can also be unclear, can come and go, and can change. On average, it takes nearly six years for people with lupus to be diagnosed, from the time they first notice their lupus symptoms.

How does a woman get lupus?

Sunlight, stress, smoking, certain medicines, and viruses may trigger symptoms in people who are most likely to get lupus due to their genes. Hormones such as estrogen. Lupus is more common in women during their childbearing years when estrogen levels are highest.

What is lupus anxiety like?

People with lupus may experience unpredictable changes in moods and personality traits. This can include feelings of anger and irritability. These may be related to the disease process or, in some cases, the use of corticosteroid medications.

Does lupus cause weight gain?

Muscle pain — Muscle pain or tenderness is common in people with lupus; rarely, some people also notice muscle weakness. Weight changes — Lupus can sometimes cause weight loss or weight gain.

What are the 4 types of lupus?

But there are four kinds of lupus:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus.
• Cutaneous lupus, a form of lupus that is limited to the skin.
• Drug-induced lupus, a lupus-like disease caused by certain prescription drugs.
• Neonatal lupus, a rare condition that affects infants of women who have lupus.

What vitamins help with lupus?

Vitamin E, zinc, vitamin A, and the B vitamins are all beneficial in a lupus diet. Vitamin C can increase your ability to absorb iron and is a good source of antioxidants.

Is lupus a terminal illness?

In most cases, lupus is not fatal. In fact, 80% to 90% of people who have this autoimmune disease will likely live a normal life span. Still, some people do die from the disease, in which your immune system attacks your body's organs and tissues.

How serious is lupus?

Lupus can impact many different parts of your body. It can cause aches and pains, as well as serious complications to your major organs. Because lupus is an autoimmune disease, it causes your body to attack itself. This can lead to organ damage over time.

Does lupus show up in routine blood tests?

No one test can diagnose lupus. The combination of blood and urine tests, signs and symptoms, and physical examination findings leads to the diagnosis.

What does lupus do to your hair?

Lupus causes widespread inflammation that usually involves your skin — particularly on your face and scalp. Lupus can cause the hair on your scalp to gradually thin out, although a few people lose clumps of hair. Loss of eyebrow, eyelash, beard and body hair also is possible.

Is it hard to diagnose lupus?

Lupus can be hard to diagnose because it has many symptoms that are often mistaken for symptoms of other diseases. Many people have lupus for a while before they find out they have it. If you have symptoms of lupus, tell your doctor right away. No single test can tell if a person has lupus.