Lupus: Information on the Disease, From Symptoms to Testing to Medication

Have you noticed that your child is extremely tired or weak lately? Are they just not doing well and not keeping up with others their age? If so you may want to think about getting some Lupus Disease testing for your son or daughter. Lupus usually rears its ugly head during the puberty stage and is often confused with growing pains, but it is so much more. Although it is seen mainly in growing children, Lupus Disease can be recognized as early as age 6.

Lupus has been described as a medical mystery by doctors and the general society for years because it is unusually difficult to detect. There are no real standardized tests to diagnose the disease because the symptoms are often vague and vary greatly from person to person. Usually the pain is slow and non-descript in the beginning, but eventually advances to aches and pains, sprains, bruising, or fever. Every doctor that you see tells you that your child has something else and you may get lots of different diagnoses. Nothing the doctors do ever seems to help and your child stays sick, and you don’t know why. When you finally reach the diagnosis of Lupus it can bring a flood of anger, denial, sadness, and devastation. Lupus changes the entire life of the patient and the people who take care of them, especially parents.

What is Lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that is closely related to the science of rheumatology. Most people suffering from Lupus complain of joint pain in the hands, neck, legs, knees, shoulders, back, wrists, elbows, ankles, and feet. What happens with Lupus is that the body begins to attack itself thinking that there is a virus or germ there. The body will automatically try to eliminate the attacker, only to cause physical and emotional pain. Lupus can strike any part of the body, mainly in joints and muscles, but the kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, bones, and skin can all be affected by the disease. Persons suffering from Lupus, with proper treatment, can be restored back to their previous condition but it can take years and multiple visits to the doctor.