Day 418
Mar 24 2008
Four More Days
...until my surgery rotation is over!
Medical Knowledge Of The Day #6:
(This is just a very brief overview, please consult a textbook for an accurate description)
Key Word: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Other names: Lupus
What is it (Etiology): A autoimmune disease that affects the entire body.
How does it work (Pathophysiology): Nobody knows what causes it. Your body creates antibodies to itself thus gradually destroying itself. The most common affected body parts are the joints, the skin, the kidneys, the heart, and the blood.
Who gets it: Women aged 14-64 mostly, but can affect anyone.
Symptoms: Anything. The classic thing they teach us in med school to look out for is a redish-purple rash over the nose and cheeks called a "malar rash" or "butterfly rash." To diagnose lupus there are tons of labs we have to check, such as: ANA, Anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm, C3, C4, etc...
Treatment: The main treatment is to get the immune system in check. The rheumatologist uses a combination of immune suppressing drugs (ex. methotrexate) and systemic steroids (ex. prednisone). Along with that, It is also important to address all the symptoms separately, such as giving NSAIDS for joint pain. Every person with lupus has different symptoms, reacts differently to meds, and has a varying severity of disease. It is a disease that is always treated but never cured.
Movie it appeared in: Gross Anatomy 1989 with Matthew Modine
Day 418
Mar 24 2008
Four More Days
...until my surgery rotation is over!
Medical Knowledge Of The Day #6:
(This is just a very brief overview, please consult a textbook for an accurate description)
Key Word: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Other names: Lupus
What is it (Etiology): A autoimmune disease that affects the entire body.
How does it work (Pathophysiology): Nobody knows what causes it. Your body creates antibodies to itself thus gradually destroying itself. The most common affected body parts are the joints, the skin, the kidneys, the heart, and the blood.
Who gets it: Women aged 14-64 mostly, but can affect anyone.
Symptoms: Anything. The classic thing they teach us in med school to look out for is a redish-purple rash over the nose and cheeks called a "malar rash" or "butterfly rash." To diagnose lupus there are tons of labs we have to check, such as: ANA, Anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm, C3, C4, etc...
Treatment: The main treatment is to get the immune system in check. The rheumatologist uses a combination of immune suppressing drugs (ex. methotrexate) and systemic steroids (ex. prednisone). Along with that, It is also important to address all the symptoms separately, such as giving NSAIDS for joint pain. Every person with lupus has different symptoms, reacts differently to meds, and has a varying severity of disease. It is a disease that is always treated but never cured.
Movie it appeared in: Gross Anatomy 1989 with Matthew Modine