Disorders of the blood vessels:
Inflamed blood vessels can affect blood circulation. The inflammation may be mild and require no treatment, or can be very severe.
Other signs and symptoms:
Fatigue.
Fatigue that accompanies lupus is not the same fatigue you feel after a sleepless night or after heavy physical work. Instead, it is an extreme continuously exhaustion feeling.
Fever.
An unexplained fever, especially a chronic fever above 37.5 may be an early sign.
Raynaud’s syndrome.
In this disease, fingers, toes, nose and ears are pale and numb when exposed to cold temperatures.
Inflammation.
You have swollen lymph nodes, and sore zones around the eyes.
Digestive problems.
These problems can include abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea and vomiting.
Hair loss.
Because lupus can affect the scalp, hair loss in some areas can appear.
Depression.
People can have depression or difficulty concentrating, either due to the disease itself or because of the challenges of living with chronic pain.
Causes of lupus:
The exact cause for the abnormal autoimmunity activity that causes lupus is not known. Genes, viruses, ultraviolet light, and medications can all play a role. Genetic factors increase the tendency of developing autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune thyroiditis are more common among relatives of patients with lupus than in the general population.
Some researchers believe that the immune system, in lupus cases, is more easily stimulated by external factors such as viruses and ultraviolet rays. Sometimes, symptoms can be hastened or worsened only for a short period of sun exposure.
Dozens of drugs have been reported as triggering lupus erythematosus, yet over 90% of the drug-induced lupus occurs as a side effect of one of three drugs; hydralazine (used for high blood pressure); quinidine and procainamide (used for cardiac arrhythmia); phenytoin (used for epilepsy); isoniazid (used for tuberculosis) and d -penicillamine (used for rheumatoid arthritis).
These drugs are known as stimulating the immune system and causing lupus. Fortunately, drug-induced lupus is rare (accounting for only 5% of systemic lupus erythematosus in all patients with the disease) and usually disappears when medication is stopped.
Also, some women with SLE may experience a worsening of their symptoms before menstruation. This phenomenon suggests that the female hormones play an important role in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus. This hormonal relationship is an active research area for scientists.