Lupus: the Unpredictable Mayhem
Lupus: The Unpredictable Mayhem
Jake Keefer
Ms. Haley Madden
Life Sciences Communication 100
October 21, 2011
Have you ever wondered what would happen to yourself if your body turned on itself? Imagine your body ravaging on its own tissue like a pack of crazed dogs for no apparent reason. Well, there is actually a disease that has this effect on the body, and it happened to my cousin, Bethani Shipman. When asked how she felt before being diagnosed in 2010 Bethani said, “I was constantly in excruciating pain most of the time and it felt like my body was falling apart.” Not understanding what was going on with her body, she decided to make a trip to the doctor’s office. "I thought it was just stress. I was going through exams for my degree at UW-Eau Claire, and I was getting married and planning on moving abroad," Bethani exclaimed. She was in fact diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. This is an autoimmune disease that can damage almost any part of the body. With 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 system produces antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. These antibodies that mistakenly attack healthy tissues in the body are known as “autoantibodies” and can cause a lot of pain, inflammation, and serious damage (Lupus Foundation of America, 2011). Lupus is a very serious disease that can affect a lot of people, but with new research and medicine, doctors are making this disease much more manageable. Nobody is quite sure what causes lupus. There is not a group of genes has been proven to cause this disease. Lupus can appear in certain families, for example, if one of two identical twins is diagnosed with this disease, the other twin has a very strong chance of having the disease as well (Bernier 2011). These results strongly suggest that genes are involved in the development of lupus. Although it is possible
Jake Keefer
Ms. Haley Madden
Life Sciences Communication 100
October 21, 2011
Have you ever wondered what would happen to yourself if your body turned on itself? Imagine your body ravaging on its own tissue like a pack of crazed dogs for no apparent reason. Well, there is actually a disease that has this effect on the body, and it happened to my cousin, Bethani Shipman. When asked how she felt before being diagnosed in 2010 Bethani said, “I was constantly in excruciating pain most of the time and it felt like my body was falling apart.” Not understanding what was going on with her body, she decided to make a trip to the doctor’s office. "I thought it was just stress. I was going through exams for my degree at UW-Eau Claire, and I was getting married and planning on moving abroad," Bethani exclaimed. She was in fact diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. This is an autoimmune disease that can damage almost any part of the body. With 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 system produces antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. These antibodies that mistakenly attack healthy tissues in the body are known as “autoantibodies” and can cause a lot of pain, inflammation, and serious damage (Lupus Foundation of America, 2011). Lupus is a very serious disease that can affect a lot of people, but with new research and medicine, doctors are making this disease much more manageable. Nobody is quite sure what causes lupus. There is not a group of genes has been proven to cause this disease. Lupus can appear in certain families, for example, if one of two identical twins is diagnosed with this disease, the other twin has a very strong chance of having the disease as well (Bernier 2011). These results strongly suggest that genes are involved in the development of lupus. Although it is possible
Citations: Bernknop, A., Rowley, K., & Bailey, T. (2011, May). A review of systemic lupus erythematosus and current treatment options. Retrieved from Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition database. Daleboudt, Gabriëlle M. N., Berger, Stefan P., Broadbent, Elizabeth, & Kaptein, Ad A. (2011, August). Health-related quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Retrieved from Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition database. Ghaussy NO, et al. (2003). Cigarette smoking and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus. Journal of Rheumatology, 30(6): 1215-1221. Hartman, W. (2007). Lupus Symptoms. In Lupus Symptoms : How to Determine. Retrieved from http://www.autoimmunedisease101.com/lupus-symptoms-how-to-determine.html Lupus Foundation of America. (n.d.).Medications to Treat Lupus. Retrieved October 17, 2011,from http://www.lupus.org/ Phillips, R Shipman, B. (Speaker). (10/14/2011). Interview with Bethani Shipman.