What is Lupus?

For those of you who don't know what lupus is here you go. Lupus is a chronic,autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body. (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last for more than six weeks and may often last for many years. In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria and germs. Normally our immune systems produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body's healthy tissues. "Auto means Self" and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain,and damage in various parts of the body. It's almost shocking but more than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported annually across the country. Research estimates that 1.5 million Americans have lupus. The actual number may be higher, however, there have been no large scale studies to show the actual number of people in the U.S. living with lupus. It is believed that more than 5 million people throughout the world have some form of lupus.