Treatment of lupus erythematosus does not always bring the expected result. First of all, because it is rarely possible to recognize the causes of this autoimmune disease that affects blood vessels and connective tissues. The study of this problem is carried out by specialists from various medical fields. It is almost impossible to establish a diagnosis without conducting a qualitative diagnosis, since doctors are usually confused by secondary diseases that develop against the background of systemic lupus erythematosus. This article is devoted to the symptoms and treatment of this ailment.
Causes of illness
Judging by most of the photos, women are more likely to need treatment for lupus erythematosus. This fact is also indicated by medical statistics: men suffer from this disease much less often, the disease is extremely rarely diagnosed among young guys.
Some researchers argue that hereditarypredisposition is the main cause of lupus erythematosus. Treatment of a disease caused by mutated genes, in their opinion, will not bring a stable result. Violations that have arisen at the genetic level negatively affect the immune system, forcing it to act not in defense, but against the body.
Other experts believe that the main factor in this pathology is infection with a viral infection. Numerous laboratory experiments and tests of scientists conducted in recent years serve as arguments for this version. It is believed that a virus that has entered the body stimulates the production of “wrong” antibodies: instead of destroying the pathogenic microbiota, they begin to actively fight their own tissues. The need for treatment of lupus erythematosus is difficult to overestimate. Without appropriate therapy, the disease can lead to dangerous diseases of the nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular systems, blood-forming organs.
There is another form of lupus erythematosus - discoid. The treatment of this pathology differs from the therapy that is used in case of diagnosing systemic lupus. The discoid form is today recognized as an infectious-allergic autoimmune disease, despite the fact that the pathogenesis of the disease has not been fully studied. In the blood of patients with this disease, an excessive amount of gamma globulins is determined. At the same time, in the conclusions of specialists on laboratory studies of the bone marrow, the presence of specific pathological cells is often mentioned. These patients require urgent treatmentdiscoid lupus erythematosus inhibits the functions of the adrenal cortex, causes disturbances in the functioning of the reproductive, endocrine systems, and metabolic processes.
How it appears outwardly
Diseases develop according to the same scenario for all patients, regardless of its true cause. The symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus and the treatment of this disease largely depend on the individual characteristics of the patient's body, his age, the presence of additional chronic diseases and other factors.
The severity of signs of pathology affects not only the well-being, but also the patient's lifestyle. The patient's condition deteriorates rapidly without proper treatment. Symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus that occur early in the course of the disease:
- Inflammation of small joints. Outwardly, the disease resembles arthritis, which is characterized by swelling, severe pain in the arms and legs, while the hands are deformed, swollen and redden. Large joints (hip, knee) are much less likely to be involved in the pathological process.
- Severe osteoporosis. Calcium entering the body is practically not absorbed. Experts will learn about the deficiency of its content in the bone tissue from an x-ray.
- Rash on the epidermis is another symptom of lupus erythematosus in adults. Rashes usually don't need to be treated. Changes in the skin become visually noticeable after the patient's exposure to the sun. As the disease progresses, small foci grow,merging into a single large spot covered with scales of exfoliating skin. The epidermis becomes thinner, small scars form on it, which are subsequently quite difficult to eliminate.
In addition to lesions of the joints, cartilage and bones, patients often complain of subfebrile fever, fatigue that does not go away even after rest, general weakness, rapid weight loss. With lupus erythematosus on the cheeks, nose, scalp, erythema may appear.
In addition to external symptoms that cause the patient more psychological discomfort than physical, it is worth noting other clinical signs of this autoimmune disease. These include manifestations of myocarditis, pericarditis, pleurisy - inflammatory processes occurring in the heart and lungs. Against the background of these disorders, arrhythmia occurs, chronic heart failure develops. Often pathologies are accompanied by disorders of the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.
Diagnostic Methods
Treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus must be preceded by a comprehensive examination. The "standard" triad of manifestations in a patient will be quite enough for the doctor to suspect an ailment. It's about:
- skin rashes;
- inflammatory processes in the heart, lungs;
- osteoporosis and joint damage.
Without laboratory and instrumental studies, it is impossible to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment. Early diagnosis of lupus erythematosus includes:
- Clinical blood test. For acutethe stage of the disease is characterized by an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a decrease in the indices of leukocytes and lymphocytes. A patient with lupus erythematosus is sometimes found to have hemolytic or hypochromic anemia, which is caused by chronic inflammation, intoxication, internal bleeding.
- Common urinalysis. In patients with lupus, protein, blood, and leukocytes in varying degrees of severity are detected in the urine, indicating a change in the functioning of the kidneys.
- Biochemical blood test. Such a study is carried out, as a rule, in order to objectively assess the degree of functionality of internal organs and systems.
In addition to laboratory, instrumental diagnostic methods are no less important:
- chest X-ray and CT;
- Echocardiography for pulmonary hypertension;
- electrocardiogram, Holter ECG monitoring;
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs, esophagogastroduodenoscopy;
- electroencephalography, CT, brain MRI.
Basic Principles of Therapy
Just a few decades ago, the prognosis for people with lupus could not be called comforting. But in recent years, doctors have made a huge breakthrough. Subject to early diagnosis, prescribing and taking effective drugs, patients get good chances to lead a full life.
The treatment regimen for lupus erythematosus with medications is compiled purely individually for each patient, depending on the coursedisease, staging of the disease, severity of symptoms. Therapy is carried out on an outpatient basis, but the patient may need hospitalization if:
- for a long time there is a persistent fever that does not go astray with antipyretics;
- he has a pre-infarction or pre-stroke condition, suspected pneumonia, dangerous disorders of the central nervous system;
- the patient's mind is oppressed;
- the level of leukocytes in the blood is rapidly falling;
- other symptoms progress.
Treatment of lupus erythematosus often involves the participation of highly specialized specialists (cardiologist, nephrologist, pulmonologist, rheumatologist). The main goal of therapy for this disease is not only the elimination of symptoms, but also the preservation of the full viability of the body. At the moment, the life expectancy of patients with this autoimmune disease is much longer than what could have been achieved, for example, 20 or 30 years ago. Success largely depends on the adequacy of therapy and the patient's responsible approach to the implementation of all medical prescriptions.
Hormonotherapy
Since the pathology is based on a pathological autoimmune reaction of the body, it is possible to achieve more or less stable results and improve the patient's condition only by suppressing it. Treatment of lupus erythematosus in adults involves the use of drugs from several groups. One of them are hormone-containing drugs.
It is believed that exactlyglucocorticosteroids have helped make a huge leap in the treatment of lupus erythematosus. Hormonal drugs perfectly fight inflammation and depress the immune system. According to statistics, long before the introduction of corticoids into the therapeutic regimen, patients did not even overcome the five-year survival threshold after diagnosis.
Hormones can help with sudden exacerbations of the disease, which negatively affect the functionality of the kidneys. However, corticosteroids have a lot of side effects, including bad mood, weight loss, and disruption of the endocrine system. In addition, hormone-containing drugs with long-term use are addictive, they also increase the risk of bone tissue damage and the development of osteoporosis, arterial hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Steroids in the treatment of lupus erythematosus are taken by mouth.
The main indicator of the effectiveness of hormone therapy is the duration of remission while maintaining small doses of drugs, a decrease in the activity of the pathological process, and a stable satisfactory state of he alth. The most common corticosteroid drug prescribed for systemic and discoid lupus erythematosus is Prednisolone. At the stage of exacerbation, it is prescribed in a daily dosage of not more than 50 mg per kilogram of body weight of an adult patient. During remission, the dose is reduced to 15 mg.
For some reason, hormone treatment is ineffective. In particular, the effect of drugs is neutralized iftake pills regularly. Steroids will not bring any benefit even if the dose was incorrectly selected or treatment was started too late.
Side effects of hormones
Because lupus is predominantly female, many of them worry about the possible side effects of these steroid drugs. More often, patients are concerned about the risk of possible weight gain. It is important to understand here that without hormone treatment, the prognosis will not be encouraging. In addition, very often fears and speculation about taking hormones are exaggerated. Many people are forced to take steroids for decades in a row, and not everyone develops side effects.
In addition to weight gain, the most likely complications after taking steroids are:
- peptic ulcer of the gastrointestinal tract;
- increased risk of infection;
- development of arterial hypertension;
- increase in blood sugar.
Cytostatics
According to reviews, the treatment of lupus erythematosus is not complete without the use of drugs of this pharmacological group, but they are prescribed in combination with hormones in the event that the use of corticosteroids alone is not enough for a positive recovery dynamics. Cytostatics, like corticoids, have immunosuppressive properties. The decision to use these drugs is made by the doctor in case of progressive lupus, as well as in the case of diagnosing nephritic or nephrotic syndromes, indicating involvementkidneys into the pathological process.
Cytostatics can serve as an alternative treatment for the low effectiveness of isolated hormone therapy or the need to reduce the dose of steroids caused by their poor tolerance or the sudden development of side effects. Often, patients with lupus are prescribed Azathioprine, Cyclophosphamide, Imuran.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Such drugs are prescribed to patients with severe inflammation, swelling, pain in the joints. Diclofenac, Indomethacin, Aspirin, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen helps to minimize the severity of these symptoms. Taking drugs from the NSAID group can be longer than hormones. In addition, they have fewer contraindications and side effects. The course of treatment with these drugs continues until the disappearance of the articular syndrome and stabilization of body temperature.
The choice of a drug or a combination of drugs depends on each individual case. For some patients, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs alone are sufficient to control the course of the disease and suppress symptoms.
Folk Therapy
With the help of non-traditional methods of treatment of lupus erythematosus, good results can be achieved. Quite often, in addition to drug therapy, experts advise herbal teas and homemade recipes. Alternative treatment of lupus erythematosus is a good alternative to conservative treatment if there are contraindications, but, despite this, self-medicate andIt is impossible to take all means in a row thoughtlessly. Before resorting to non-traditional methods of therapy, it is necessary to consult with your doctor.
Some medicinal herbs have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, other plants have a diuretic and wound-healing effect, stimulate the production of hormones in the body, and reduce high blood pressure. With a competent combination of components, it is possible to reduce the severity of symptoms and enrich the body with vitamins and essential trace elements. Several recipes for effective folk remedies for the treatment of lupus erythematosus are especially popular.
Herbal infusion
To prepare this remedy you will need:
- motherwort (2 tbsp);
- St. John's wort (2 tablespoons);
- celandine (1 tablespoon);
- rose hips (3 tbsp.);
- white willow bark (1 tbsp.);
- birch buds (2 tbsp);
- burdock root (1 tbsp.).
The mixture must be thoroughly crushed, passing through a meat grinder or coffee grinder, mix and send to a dark, dry place. Before each dose, it is necessary to prepare a fresh infusion, for which you will need 10 g of this herbal collection. Raw materials are poured with 500 ml of boiling water and, covered with a lid, left for 5-7 hours. After the time has elapsed, you need to strain the drink and add a teaspoon of alcohol tincture of sophora to enhance the therapeutic effect. Take 250 ml of infusion on an empty stomach and before dinner. The course of treatment is 2 weeks. You need to drink the drink regularly for six days, then make a one-daybreak and continue treatment.
St. John's wort oil
Treatment of lupus erythematosus with folk remedies involves not only oral intake of decoctions and infusions. For the treatment of skin rashes on the face, St. John's wort oil is used. You can cook it at home. You will need a couple of tablespoons of plant flowers and a glass of olive or sunflower oil. To infuse the remedy, it is necessary to remove it to a remote cool place for 2-3 weeks, but at the same time shake the contents every day. When St. John's wort oil is ready, they lubricate the affected areas of the skin in the morning and before bedtime. Similarly, you can prepare sea buckthorn oil - it also does an excellent job with problem areas on the epidermis.
Other folk recipes
- For joint pain caused by systemic lupus erythematosus, chestnut tincture can be used. Such a tool is sold in a pharmacy and is inexpensive. To relieve swelling and pain, you need to rub the tincture into the joint every day, after which it is necessary to bandage or wrap it with a warm cloth. The course of treatment is 1-2 weeks.
- Another version of a folk remedy that helps with joint damage. To prepare it, you will need dried cherries (100 g of fruits), parsley root (20 g), black elderberry flowers (2 tbsp. L.). All ingredients are mixed and brewed with a liter of hot boiled water, then put on a slow fire and brought to a boil. As soon as the broth has cooled, it must be well filtered. Take the remedy half an hour beforea glass of food.
- For patients with impaired kidney function, you can use the following phyto-collection: 100 g of currant leaves, the same amount of corn stigmas and rose hips. A decoction is prepared in the same way as the previous remedy.
How to live with this diagnosis
However, in order to successfully overcome the exacerbation of the disease, it is important to follow the primitive, but at the same time very important recommendations of experts:
- Avoid stressful situations, psycho-emotional stress, worries and worries.
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Limit exposure to the sun, refuse to visit the solarium.
- Do sports but avoid over-exertion.
- Do not start chronic diseases, cure colds to the end.
- Do not use hormonal contraception.
- Keep a he althy lifestyle free of alcohol and smoking.
- Give preference to natural cosmetics.
In general, it is impossible to predict a complete recovery from lupus erythematosus. The percentage of deaths among patients with this disease is still high. But in most cases, the cause of death is not lupus itself, but complications caused by infection or deep damage to internal organs. If the disease is detected in time and a competent treatment plan is drawn up, lupus can be kept under control, preventing it from destroying he alth and life.
