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 Lupus is a lifelong inflammatory disease that causes your immune system to attack the healthy cells and tissues in your body. The inflammation can affect many different systems in your body, including your kidneys, lungs, brain, joints, blood cells, skin and heart. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for lupus as yet. Though the condition can be kept in check with the help of drug therapy and certain self-care measures. In case you have been diagnosed with lupus, it is very important that you undergo treatment as soon as possible. Left unchecked and untreated, this condition could lead to several complications.

Side Effects of Lupus Disease

The inflammation induced by lupus can have an adverse effect on various parts of your body. Some of potential side effects of this condition include:

• Kidney Problems: This happens to be one of the most common long term effects of lupus.  Almost half the people suffering from this condition experience some type of kidney damage. Data shows that kidney failure is one of the leading causes of death among lupus patients.
• Brain Damage: Very often, lupus patients begin to experience behavioral changes and a decline in their memory. As the condition progresses, you may also suffer from severe headaches, dizziness and hallucinations. Severe cases of lupus may also lead to seizures and strokes.
• Heart Diseases: The risks of cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks increase to a great extent as the inflammation affects your heart muscle, the arteries or the membrane.
  

Patients suffering from lupus are also at a much higher risk of cancer, infection and bone tissue death. Therefore, it is imperative that you consult a doctor as soon as you realize that you may be suffering from lupus. Your doctor may advise you to undergo a series of tests, which include:

• Lab tests (CBC, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, kidney assessment, liver assessment, urinalysis and antinuclear test)
• Imaging tests (Chest x–ray and echocardiogram)
• Biopsy
  

For an accurate diagnosis of the condition, health experts refer to the ‘Eleven Criteria of Lupus’ by the American College of Rheumatology. These 11 criteria include:

1. Malar rash, the butterfly-shaped rash on nose and cheeks
2. Discoid rash
3. Photosensitivity
4. Ulcers in the mouth or nose
5. Arthritis in two or more joints
6. Pericarditis or lung pleuritis
7. Neurological disorder (seizures or psychosis)
8. Renal disorder
9. Hematologic disorder
10. Immunologic disorder
11. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA)
    

You need to experience 4 or more of the symptoms mentioned above to meet the diagnostic criteria for lupus.

References

1. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lupus/DS00115/

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