Drug Induced Lupus
Drug induced lupus, or DILE, is exactly what you would expect it to be based on its name. This type of lupus develops due to a person taking mediation for other illnesses. It has the exact same symptoms as systemic lupus erythematosus. These include the aches and pains in the joints caused by the swelling, fever, and excessive tiredness. Fortunately, this type of lupus does not do the damage to a person’s organs like that done by systemic lupus erythematosus.
Unlike the other types of lupus, when the medication that is causing the problems is identified and stopped, the lupus symptoms will stop as well. This can be a problem if the person is taking the problematic medication to treat a chronic or severe medical issue.
Symptoms
Drug induced lupus occurs when the body’s immune system no longer copes with the continued use of certain medications. The three most common drugs that cause drug induced lupus are:
Hydralazine, which is used for treating high blood pressure
Procainamide, which is used for treating heart arrhythmias
Isoniazid, which is a drug used for the treating tuberculosis as well as preventing it
Researchers hope to understand better what the human immune system is by trying to learn why the immune system has this reaction to these specific medications.
In nearly ninety percent of all severe drug induced lupus cases, the individual will have synovitis. This is an inflammation of the synovial membranes, which line the joints. They will also have never shown any symptoms previously of an immune system disease. Fifty percent of them will have weight loss along with their excessive tiredness. Up to fifty percent will have myalgia or muscle pain.
Diagnosis
While those three drugs commonly cause DLE, there are others that are equally high-risk drugs when used over a long term. These include many beta blockers and anticonvulsants. Some medications that are taken long term like ibuprofen, do not cause DILE, but they can cause lupus flares. Drug induced lupus will show up differently in blood tests, when the health care providers are trying to determine what type of lupus a person may be suffering from. These blood tests provide clearer answers during a diagnosis
Who is at Risk?
According to eMedicine, in America of the half a million cases of lupus erythematosus that are diagnosed, ten percent of these cases are drug induced lupus. Of those suffering from this disorder, more of them are Caucasian than African American, which is the opposite of how it is for systemic lupus erythematosus. Although systemic lupus erythematosus mainly affects women, DILE affects men and women equally. The usual age of the onset of DILE is between fifty and seventy. It is unlikely that a person will die of DILE. Very rarely, renal failure can set in as a result of drug induced lupus.
Treatment
As with any kind of lupus, the sun’s ultra violet rays are harmful. If you have been diagnosed with DILE make sure that until it has gone way, you are careful about being exposing your skin to sunlight. Wear protective clothing including hats, shirts with long sleeves, pants and sunglasses. It is also important that you wear a strong sunscreen with a high protection factor or SPF, of at least thirty.
Being diagnosed with drug induced lupus can be very upsetting. The good news is that it will disappear completely once the offending drugs have been stopped. If you take the offending medications for a chronic condition, your physician will find an alternative. The symptoms of DILE may take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months to disappear, but they will eventually be gone entirely.
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