Lupus

Women are diagnosed with lupus nine times more often than men

Lupus, one of the ailments that the late Sunanda Pushkar suffered from, is an auto- immune disease where the body’s immune system destroys healthy tissues.

According to Hindustan Times, Pushkar underwent treatment at the Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences days prior to her death. According to the paper, the hospital’s report said, ‘Lupus and Sjogren’s Syndrome are auto-immune disorders. The term ‘overlap syndrome’ is used when many of these diseases and others co-exist. Auto-immune disorders are conditions in which the person’s immune system mistakenly… destroys healthy body tissues. There is no cure for these diseases.’

Though Pushkar’s condition was not life threatening, it was a mental and physical hindrance. The hospital report also said she suffered from arthritis and heightened photo-sensitivity. Pushkar revealed she had visited KIMS in one of her last tweets. She wrote, ‘Got so many issues diagnosed in KIMS that now who know when I got 2 to go with joy hastay hua jayegay’.

The Lupus Foundation of America says women are diagnosed with the disease nine times more often than men. Though the exact causes of lupus are not known, it is believed lupus results from both genetic and environmental factors. The latter include stress, smoking, exposure to sunlight, certain prescription medications, infection with Epstein-Barr virus, and exposure to certain chemicals.

The higher number of lupus cases among women may suggest the disease can be triggered by certain hormones. Doctors believe hormones such as oestrogen regulate the progression of the disease because symptoms tend to flare before periods and/or during pregnancy.

Symptoms of lupus include achy joints, swelling of the hands and feet due to kidney problems, fevers, fatigue, butterfly-shaped rashes, anaemia and hair loss.

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