Autoimmune disease: Lupus treatment

Lupus also referred to as systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systematic chronic autoimmune disorderwhere one’s immune system becomes overactive and attacks healthy body tissues and cells resulting in inflammation and swelling.

The responsibility of the immune system is to attack foreign substances in our body and if you are suffering from lupus, something is not right with your immune system, as it attacks healthy body tissues and cells.

Lupus can lead to damaging of various body parts such as:

• Joints
• Skin
• Kidneys
• Heart
• Lungs
• Brain
• Blood vessels

The immune system makes proteins known as antibodies that fight antigens like bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Lupus makes your immune system unable to make a distinction between antigens and healthy tissues and cells, causing the immune system to turn against the healthy tissues. Any part of the body can be affected by lupus.

There are two main types of lupus:

1. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

This is an inflammatory connective tissue that affects joints, blood vessel walls and kidneys, and is prevalent in young women and children.

2. Discoid lupus

This is a chronic and recurrent condition characterized by macules, follicular plugging, scales, telangiectasia, and atrophy.

What causes Lupus?

Although the cause of lupus is still fully known, researchers suggest the following factors can trigger lupus:

1. Hormones

Hormones control several body functions and since 9 out of every 10 lupus cases affect women, it is believed that there is a relationship between estrogen and lupus. Both men and women produce estrogen but the production is more prominent in women as compared to men (especially before their menstrual period or when expectant).

2. Genetics

Despite the fact that medical researchers have identified over 50 genes that are common in lupus patients, in most cases genes don’t trigger Lupus. This is evident with twins brought up together with both having similar inherited characteristics, yet only one develops the condition.

3. Environmental agents

Environmental factors such as viruses or toxins encountered by genetically vulnerable individuals can trigger Lupus. Although this is not confirmed by research studies at this point, researchers suspect that some factors that may contribute to Lupus may be:

a) Medication
b) Antibiotics
c) UV
d) Fatigue
e) Viral infections and colds
f) Stress and depression

Facts about Lupus that you should know

Lupus is neither contagious nor can it be transmitted through sexual intercourse. Although some Lupus treatment includes immune-suppressant drugs used in chemotherapy, Lupus is not associated with cancer, while cancer is a disorder of rapid abnormal tissue growth that spreads into neighboring tissues, Lupus is an autoimmune condition.

Over 16,000 new cases of Lupus are reported annually and it is estimated that about five million people in the world live with this disease.

Who is affected by Lupus?

Women

Although lupus can affect anyone, 90% of patients are women and of these, approximately 90% develop this disorder between the ages of 15 and 45 (during their reproductive years). Some of the possible triggers include hormones and pregnancy.

Children

Most children diagnosed with Lupus are in puberty. Although the symptoms of childhood Lupus are similar to adult Lupus, they are more severe and for this reason, kids are given more powerful treatment that regulates the condition before it affects the vital body organs.

Men

Lupus is very rare in men; occurring at a rate of approximately 1 male for every 9 females. While most women develop Lupus in their childbearing age, there is no specific risk period when men are more likely to be diagnosed with the condition. However, male patients show different symptoms that tend to be more serious than those in women.

Lupus symptoms

Lupus symptoms range from mild to severe and they vary from one person to another. Here is a list of the most common symptoms:

1) Joints pain
2) Muscle pain
3) Fever
4) Red rashes which are also referred as butterfly rash
5) Chest pains especially when taking a deep breath
6) Swelling in legs or around the eyes
7) Pale fingers and toes
8) Mouth ulcers
9) Fatigue
10) Swollen glands

Lupus treatment with stem cell therapy

Stem cell therapy replaces damaged/injured bone marrow cells with healthy stem cells and it is done after powerful medication has been used to remove the damaged immune system. Stem cells are immature cells that are extracted from the bone marrow or any mature tissue and have the ability to divide and convert into any other type of cell.

Traditional medication can only alleviate the symptoms. Moreover, prolonged use of prescribed medication can also lead to liver disorders and peptic ulcers. Lupus treatment with stem cell therapy offers an alternative by combining hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC).

 

Benefits of Lupus treatment with stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy is a new alternative treatment to help manage the symptoms of Lupus. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to replace countless cells in the body.

Improvements have been seen in the following symptoms after treatment:

• Improvements in tissue function
• Reduction or elimination of dependence on immune-suppressors
• Increased energy
• Reduction or elimination of low-grade fevers
• Reduction or elimination in the appearance of lesions
• Potential reduction of antibody levels
• Reduction in the damage to vital organs; such as lungs and kidneys