Lupus (SLE) diagnosis & treatment in Bhubaneswar
Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus or SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks your own tissues, causing inflammation that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells and other organs.
What is lupus (SLE)?
a multi-system autoimmune disease
Systemic lupus erythematosus (also known as lupus or SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body.
- Lupus is an autoimmune condition, which means that your body’s immune system attacks your own body tissues, assuming they are foreign. This can lead to pain, swelling and damage to organs such as the brain, blood cells and kidneys.
- People with lupus often have disease flares, in which symptoms worsen, followed by a period of remission, in which symptoms improve.
- Lupus is mild in some people and life-threatening in others. However, treatments are available to reduce symptoms, reverse inflammation and minimise organ damage.
Signs & symptoms
the “great imitator”
Lupus is called the “great imitator” because its symptoms mimic many other diseases, and they may come and go — a person can feel completely well one moment and unwell the next. The most common presenting symptoms are fatigue, skin rashes, fevers and pain or swelling in the joints. Other symptoms can include sun sensitivity, oral ulcers, arthritis, and lung, heart, kidney or blood problems. Because early symptoms often point to other departments, diagnosis can be delayed — but reassuringly, not everyone develops all of these, and your rheumatologist can guide you. The important organ involvements are:
- Kidneys — kidney involvement is initially recognised through the passage of blood and protein in the urine. If not treated in time, it can lead to kidney failure.
- Brain & central nervous system — headaches, dizziness, behaviour changes, vision problems and even strokes or seizures may be part of lupus. Some people experience memory problems or difficulty expressing their thoughts.
- Blood & blood vessels — lupus may cause anaemia and an increased risk of bleeding due to low platelets or clotting problems. It can also cause inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis).
- Lungs — some patients develop inflammation of the chest cavity lining (pleurisy), which can make breathing painful. Bleeding into the lungs and pneumonia are possible but very rare.
- Heart — lupus can inflame the heart muscle, arteries or heart membrane (pericarditis). The risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks also rises in long-standing, untreated patients.
Watch: understanding lupus (SLE) from OARC (opens YouTube)
Unexplained fatigue, rashes, joint pain or fever that keeps returning? See a rheumatologist early — timely diagnosis and treatment can prevent lupus from damaging major organs.
Book AppointmentWhat causes
lupus?
The exact cause is not known and is usually multifactorial. Lupus occurs when your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your own body. It results from a combination of your genetics and your environment — people with an inherited genetic risk factor may develop the disease when they come into contact with an environmental trigger. Some potential triggers include:
- Sunlight — exposure to the sun may bring on lupus skin lesions or trigger an internal response in susceptible people.
- Infections — having an infection can initiate lupus or cause a relapse in some people.
- Medications — lupus can be triggered by certain blood pressure medications, anti-seizure medications and antibiotics.
Factors that may increase your risk
- Sex — lupus is more common in women.
- Age — although lupus affects people of all ages, it is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 45.
- Race — lupus is more common in African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans.
Lupus (SLE)
at a glance
SLE is usually a disease of child-bearing-age women, and UV light from sun exposure may lead to lupus flares.
It can be less serious when it affects only the skin, joints or hair, but becomes life-threatening if it involves the kidneys, heart or brain — so the intensity and duration of treatment depend on the organs involved.
How lupus
is diagnosed
Lupus cannot always be judged from the outside — it is essential to “look inside”. This calls for a careful history and a variety of laboratory tests after drawing your blood.
Spending time taking a detailed medical history really helps, alongside a complete clinical examination. These peculiar properties of lupus mean the diagnosis cannot always be reached on examination alone.
Routine blood tests such as haemoglobin (Hb), WBC counts, platelet counts and liver function tests, along with a urine examination, help build the picture of disease activity and organ involvement.
A skin biopsy may be advised in case you have a skin rash, to help confirm whether lupus is the cause.
A kidney biopsy may be needed if you are losing blood cells or more than one gram of protein daily in the urine, to assess kidney involvement.
Watch: more on lupus (SLE) from OARC (opens YouTube)
How lupus
is treated
Can lupus be cured?
The first thing on the mind of a patient with lupus is whether it can be cured. The honest answer is no — but that does not mean it cannot be treated. Like other chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure and bronchial asthma, lupus cannot be cured, yet when it is adequately controlled and monitored, people can live and enjoy life just like everyone else.
A changed outlook
Treatment of lupus has changed significantly over the past few decades. Gone are the days when a diagnosis of lupus meant a death sentence. With a proper understanding of the disease and the availability of very effective drugs, the outlook for lupus has changed enormously.
Treatment is personalised
All patients with lupus are not the same. As a general rule, about half of patients have milder disease confined to the skin and musculoskeletal system and do not require high doses of immunosuppression, while the other half have a more severe form that attacks the internal organs. There is nothing to panic about from the onset — allow your doctor to formulate a treatment plan based on the extent of organ involvement.
Start early, stay the course
Do not feel that everything is lost, and do not run behind the “mirage” of a cure or fall prey to fraudulent advertisements. Go as early as possible to your rheumatologist, discuss your condition, form a treatment plan and comply with the regimen — this is the only way out.
Review visits with the OARC rheumatology team run Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM–2:00 PM and 4:30–9:00 PM. Call +91 93386 53086 or book online.
How OARC Can Help?
At OARC, we offer holistic care to patients suffering from all kinds of arthritis and autoimmune diseases by our renowned rheumatologists. Because of the chronic nature of the disease, we spend time with the patient helping them to know about their disease, and demystify the myths regarding the disease and treatment. We have collaboration with an NABL accredited laboratory where all kinds of blood tests can be done at reasonable costs. We also have a patient support system which patients can approach in case of any emergency. We believe in a friendly relation with patients so that they can share all their sufferings and get the best possible treatment.
- Best doctors to treat
- State-of-the-art clinic
- All facilities available under one roof
- NABL accredited laboratory
- Same-day test results
- Convenient location
What happens if lupus
is left untreated?
- With proper treatment, a patient with lupus can lead a normal life.
- If left untreated, a patient may develop kidney failure, frequent attacks of fever, joint pain and many other life-threatening organ failures.
- Patients with involvement of major organs like the kidney and brain who do not take proper treatment under guidance may die due to organ failure.
Questions to ask your doctor
- Which of my organs are involved, and how does that change my treatment?
- How often will my blood and urine be monitored while on treatment?
- What everyday steps — like sun protection — should I take to reduce flares?
- What side effects should I watch for, and when should I call the clinic?
- Can I live a normal life, work and plan a family with lupus?
Frequently Asked Questions
lupus care in Odisha
Meet the rheumatologist
behind your care
Dr. Jyoti Ranjan Parida
Founder & Lead Rheumatologist at OARC. Dr. Parida pioneered specialist rheumatology care in Odisha since 2014 and leads the OARC rheumatology team — with fellow rheumatologist Dr. Debashis Maikap — at our Bhubaneswar centre. Consultations run Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM–2:00 PM and 4:30–9:00 PM.