Learning something about lupus, a strange disease that affects thousands of women around the world
Dear friends of Steemit, warm greetings to all of you.
In recent days a neighbor of the community was transferred by emergency ambulance, a rare procedure in this rural community south of the eastern plains of the Monagas State in Venezuela. I say infrequently due to the precarious current conditions of the Venezuelan public health system.
During the dinner of that day the theme was part of the desktop. It was logical for my brother and his wife, since Mrs. Marina (that is the name of the urgently moved lady) in addition to being her neighbor for many years, is the godmother of the youngest of my nephews.
Ms. Marina was diagnosed with hypocalcemia, a situation that occurs when the concentration of calcium in the blood is too low. However, it should be clarified that this condition is not the cause of the health problem suffered by the said lady, since her condition is due to another disease. Mrs. Marina suffers from Lupus.
I will be honest with you, in relation to Lupus disease I had a very vague idea. It may seem somewhat frivolous what I am going to tell you but I remember that a few months ago, while watching TV with my wife, I heard in a variety show about the evolution of the state of health of the Mexican-born singer and actress Selena Gomez who was diagnosed with that disease a few years ago.
I remember that on that occasion it was mentioned that the levels of stress that the artist had (due to her busy schedule) were the triggers of Lupus. This disease, without her knowing it, led her to suspend in 2013 some concerts of her tour of Australia and Asia. After taking a break from the stages, the artist informed the media and fans about the causes of her brief withdrawal from the stages and even about the kidney transplant to which she was subjected as a result of this condition.
I also remember that in this program reference was made to other celebrities afflicted with this complex disease. One of them was Toni Braxton, who was diagnosed in 2008 after having collapsed during a perfomance in Las Vegas.
I have made this preamble in order to expose the increasing visibility that this disease is acquiring in recent times, I would like to tell you a little about the history of this disease, for this I will cite the authors J. Gómez and R. Cervera ( 2008, p. 2) who in their research work entitled Systemic Lupus Erythematosus make reference to the existence of this disease for more than five centuries, according to them “In the first descriptions of the XV and XVI the term "lupus" (lesion similar to wolf bite) was used to refer to facial ulcerations that spread progressively and destructively ”.
It is convenient then to describe what Lupus consists of. In that order of ideas, Y. Abrante (2014, p. 15) in his Degree Work called El Lupus. Social Consequences, Are they sufficient to recognize the disease as a disability citing Coin-Mejías points out that Lupus: >
“It is a multisystemic disease characterized by an alteration in the immune response, where the Antibody production is directed against nuclear antigens, which affects many organs and systems”.
In other words, Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to not recognize its own cells and proteins, confusing them with invading agents such as viruses. For this reason, damage occurs in virtually all healthy tissues.
In relation to the origins of the disease, these are not yet scientifically known. J. Gómez and R. Cervera (Op. Cit, p. 1) state that “The pathogenesis of lupus remains unknown, however, genetic, environmental, hormonal factors, as well as various cellular alterations and a loss in the cytokine balance”.
To conclude with this brief review about this disease, it is appropriate to refer to the figures handled by the Lupus Foundation of America regarding the number of patients. According to this institution in the United States it is projected that there are about 1.5 million affected, while in the rest of the world the projection is at least about 5 million affected.
Other relevant information managed by this institution has to do with the presence of this disease according to racial groups, according to this “Lupus is two or three times more prevalent among women of color-African-American, Hispanic / Latino , Asian, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander-that among Caucasian women.
Prednisone is one of the corticosteroid medications used to combat severe pathologies such as lupus and even cancer, due to its great potency and effectiveness.
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For those who suffer from lupus, living life can be a challenging experience, since their condition makes them experience depressive and anxiety states, since the symptoms can appear and disappear at any moment, they live in a state of uncertainty day after day. In the case of Venezuela, we have the aggravation of the shortage of medicines and their high costs. In the case of Mrs. Marina, the hypocalcaemic condition was due to the fact that she had stopped taking prednisone, one of the medications usually used to control this disease.
Thank you for allowing me to be in touch with you, I say goodbye very interested in knowing your comments. For all an excellent day!!
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