Lupus, butterfly rashes and various other symptoms

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, one of the symptoms is a rash caused by butterflies. A butterfly rash is a red rash that appears on the base of the nose and widens on the patient's cheeks.

When seen, the reddish rash has the shape of a pair of butterfly wings extending over the victim's face. This is the reason why these symptoms are called rashes. But is it true that these symptoms always indicate lupus?

Rash symptoms due to lupus and butterflies

Butterfly rash is actually a symptom that can also be caused by many diseases besides lupus. For example, rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis. In people with lupus, only 30% of them have butterfly rash symptoms.

Butterfly rash in lupus sufferers usually does not cause itching or pain. The color can also be pink to dark red.

The redness of the skin of lupus sufferers is a photosensitivity reaction, inflammation that is triggered by sun exposure. Because the immune system of people with lupus trying to clean skin cells damaged by ultraviolet (UV) exposure.

In addition to the effects of the sun's UV rays, inflammation of the skin of people with lupus can also occur due to stress, both physically and mentally. Likewise with some infections in patients.

For people with lupus, inflammation often occurs not only in the skin, but also in other organs. As a result, lupus may have symptoms that can change. So don't be surprised if lupus is often called a facial disease.

Observation of certain symptoms is needed to determine whether a person has lupus. Butterfly rash is just one of many skin problems that can appear as symptoms of this disease.

Lupus has very broad symptoms

Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease with very different symptoms. Because lupus is a disease that can attack various organs of the body.

Each lupus victim has different symptoms, depending on the organ that is attacked by immunity.

Attacks of symptoms can also heal and recur.

In addition to butterfly rashes, common symptoms of lupus may include:

fever
tired
Chest pain.
Pain or stiffness in the joints.
Hard to breathe.
Chest pain.
Dry eye.
Headache
Memory failure.
Confused.

Because the symptoms are very broad and often resemble the symptoms of various other diseases, lupus is difficult to diagnose. Therefore, consultation, monitoring and careful examination by doctors is needed to establish the diagnosis of this disease.

In addition, lupus is an autoimmune disease. This means that the patient's immune system attacks the body's organs and tissues. The cause of this abnormal immune response is also not known with certainty.

It is believed that sufferers already tend to have autoimmune problems, which are then caused by infections, the use of certain drugs or excessive sun exposure that causes skin lesions.

Gender, age and race are also thought to have an influence. The reason is that lupus attacks more than 15 to 45 years of African and Asian women.

Because the cause is not known with certainty, there is no drug that can cure lupus. This treatment aims to overcome the symptoms, control the disease and improve the quality of life of sufferers of the disease.