Lupus can take many forms.  You may have only a few problems. You may have many  problems. A large majority of people with lupus do very well without ever having major problems.

There is however a very small percentage of people who suffer from severe nerve and mental problems, convulsions, or a even a type of paralysis resulting from lupus.  

Their doctor needs to monitor these individuals closely for any abnormal changes and treatment should be started quickly.

The majority of people with lupus do very well without having major problems.

Remember lupus can take many forms. 

Types of Lupus

"Lupus" is a broad term, actually there are several kinds of lupus: but the two most common are: discoid and systemic. The terms 'lupus' is usually taken to mean the systemic form.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the tissues of the body are attacked by the overly active immune system and is treated by suppressing the immune system. Lupus has a place in the family of rheumatic diseases.

Rheumatic diseases affect joints, muscles and other parts of the body, and often involve abnormalities of the immune system. Lupus can affect not only joints and muscles but also skin, kidneys, nervous system, lungs, heart and the blood-forming organs.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (eh-RITH-eh-muh-TOE-sus) (SLE) is the form of the disease that most people are referring to when they say "lupus." The disease affects many parts of the body. The symptoms of SLE may be mild or serious. Although SLE usually first affects people between the ages of 15 and 45 years, it can occur in childhood or later in life as well. A person with lupus may also have various forms of its attendant phenomenon and syndromes.

Some common attendant phenomenon and syndromes can be; Reynaud’s Phenomenon, Fibromaylgia, Arthritis, Sjorgen’s Syndrome, seizure disorders, diabetes, angioedema, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney or bowel disorders, chronic heartburn, acid reflux, ulceration of the esophageal lining and traumatic stress disorder to name a very few.

Incidence rates show Lupus affecting women about eight or 10 times as often as men.* In most cases, symptoms first appear in women of child-bearing age (usually age 18-45). It occurs more often in blacks and in some Asian and North American Indian groups than in whites. Lupus can and does occur in young children or in older people.**

Exposure to the sun and fluorescent lighting is known to make the skin rashes associated with lupus worse in most people. Sun exposure may cause the generalized flares of lupus, resulting in fevers, joint pains, or even inflammation involving the heart, lungs, kidneys or nervous system. Use a sunscreen lotion or sun block and avoid outdoor activities during peak sunlight hours (usually 10 am to 4 pm). Sunscreens may be bought without a prescription, are available in many different forms. Those with a sun protection factor of 15 or more are the best. Some chemicals in sunscreens may cause skin irritation or rashes, try a different type.

During unavoidable times of sun exposure, it is important to wear a hat to shade you from direct sun and clothing to cover the arms, legs and chest. As long as you protect yourself when you go out in the sun, your illness should not affect where you live.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is a chronic (long-term), debilitating (long-term), autoimmune condition most commonly affecting the joints, skin, kidneys and nervous system. Lupus patients are often chronically ill and often require steroids or immunosuppressive medications to control their disease.

A chronic disease can't be cured but it can be controlled through proper treatment.

Discoid Lupus Erythematosus refers to a skin disorder in which a red, raised rash may become thick and scaly causing in some cases scarring of the face, scalp, or elsewhere. The rash may last for days or years and may recur. A very small percentage of people with discoid lupus have or develop SLE or bodily systems problems.

In most cases discoid lupus may be limited to the skin and not be associated with disease in any other body systems. In other cases, discoid lupus may be one of the features of the systemic form of lupus.

Profundus Lupus Erythematosus is characterized by firm, rubbery nodules of fat or lymphocytes that sometimes become ulcerated, usually of the face; this may occur in systemic and localized lupus erythematosus.

Drug-induced lupus is a form of lupus caused by specific medications. Symptoms are similar to those of SLE (arthritis, rash, fever, and chest pain) that typically go away when the drug is stopped. Some medications taken for other conditions like high blood pressure, certain heart problems, seizures or severe depression, may cause many of the symptoms or abnormal blood tests of lupus. These symptoms almost always go away when these medications are stopped.

Neonatal lupus is very rare, and most infants of mothers with SLE are entirely healthy. Physicians can now identify most at-risk mothers, so there is prompt treatment of the infant at or before birth.

Neonatal lupus is an extremely rare form of lupus affecting newborn babies of women with SLE or other immune system disorders.

At birth, the babies have a skin rash, liver abnormalities, or low blood counts, which goes away, entirely, over several months (generally by six months after birth). A baby born with neonatal lupus may have a serious heart defect or a congenital heart block, causing a slow heart beat which may require treatment with a pacemaker. If your doctor advises against pregnancy heed the advice.