Lupus erythematosus
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lupus erythematosus, also called Lupus, is a disease. It is chronic, this means it does not go away. It is a disease of the Immune system that happens when the immune system attacks itself. The disease can be deadly. Lupus causes swelling and tissue damage. Lupus can attack any part of the body. It most commonly affects the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels and brain/nervous system. There is treatment for Lupus, mainly with immunosuppression, but there is no cure for it now.
Lupus takes its name from the Latin word "Lupus", meaning wolf. This is because of the wolf-like rash that some patients get. In the United States alone, there are 270,000 to 1.5 million (1,500,000) people with Lupus. Worldwide, it is estimated that over 5 million (5,000,000) people have Lupus. The disease mainly affects young women, but men can still get it.