{"id":133,"date":"2020-04-24T10:24:48","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T10:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/?p=133"},"modified":"2020-04-24T13:47:51","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T13:47:51","slug":"cue-project-blog-systemic-lupus-erythematosus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/bcm-441\/cue-project-blog-systemic-lupus-erythematosus\/","title":{"rendered":"CUE Project Blog: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/323653\">Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)<\/a> is a complex autoimmune disease where healthy cells from connective tissues are mistakenly attacked by a person\u2019s own immune system. SLE is intriguing in that it can attack multiple organs and cause diverse symptoms that are unique in each patient diagnosed. However, since SLE is complex and causes total body symptoms with differing ranges in severity, it is hard for doctors to properly diagnose and potentially treat the disease. The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that there are around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lupus.org\/resources\/lupus-facts-and-statistics\">161,000 to 1.5 million documented <\/a>cases of SLE in the United States alone. This extreme range of documented cases further emphasizes lupus is not properly understood, not properly diagnosed, and lacks a general public understanding of this disease process and how it impacts people. However, celebrities like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/lupus\/speaking-out-about-her-own-diagnosis-selena-gomez-raising-lupus-awareness\/\">Selena Gomez<\/a> who have SLE are openly talking about the disorder and foundations like the Lupus Foundation of America have orchestrated mass events to promote <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lupus.org\/get-involved\">research<\/a> and awareness. It is critical to develop a deeper understanding and promote research to allow for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is lupus?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lupus occurs in patients with overactive immune systems. Lupus has many variations of the disease with the main one being <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/\">systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)<\/a>. SLE is the most commonly diagnosed form of lupus because of the number of symptoms associated with the disease. SLE also causes inflammation in organs like the kidneys. Lupus is not contagious and has been linked to both <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-3\/\">genetic<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/risk-factors-how-environmental-and-genetics-combined-make-the-perfect-disease\/\">environmental<\/a> factors. Lupus has active stages of the disease that are called <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/diagnosis-and-treatment\/\">\u201clupus flares\u201d<\/a> and phases of remission. These lupus flares cause the most damage to the body and are what cause symptoms in patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What is Lupus - Lupus Symptoms in women and men\" width=\"525\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H_QKeq70sbI?start=1&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>Brief video describing what lupus is<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How does SLE impact the immune system?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lupus itself impacts multiple parts of the immune system, including <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-3\/\">adaptive<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-3\/\">complementary<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-3\/\">innate immune<\/a> responses. Pathways in the immune system that are impaired are ones that control and regulate inflammatory responses like specific Toll-like receptors (proteins in the innate immune system) and cell death (apoptosis) pathways. Once damaged, these pathways cause major immune response reactions, most specifically an immune response called a <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/bcm-441\/cue-project-blog-systemic-lupus-erythematosus\/?preview_id=133&amp;preview_nonce=28b98801ed&amp;preview=true\">type III hypersensitivity<\/a>. This type of hypersensitivity results because of a buildup of <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/bcm-441\/cue-project-blog-systemic-lupus-erythematosus\/?preview_id=133&amp;preview_nonce=28b98801ed&amp;preview=true\">antigen-antibody complexes<\/a> that haven\u2019t been properly destroyed. <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/bcm-441\/cue-project-blog-systemic-lupus-erythematosus\/?preview_id=133&amp;preview_nonce=28b98801ed&amp;preview=true\">Phagocyt<\/a>es (cells that ingest harmful foreign particles) are recruited to try and break up this buildup but cannot properly destroy these complexes. Since these cells can\u2019t break up the complexes, a vicious immune response occurs resulting in \u201clupus flare\u201d ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What causes SLE and why is it so hard to diagnose?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SLE is multifaceted and doesn\u2019t have one common risk factor. Research concludes that most patients develop lupus through genetic and environmental factors like having <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/risk-factors-how-environmental-and-genetics-combined-make-the-perfect-disease\/\">EBV<\/a> (Epstein-Barr Virus) or being exposed to <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/risk-factors-how-environmental-and-genetics-combined-make-the-perfect-disease\/\">UV radiation<\/a> (sun rays). Certain <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-3\/\">polymorphisms<\/a> (difference in one amino acid within a gene sequence) like toll-like receptors 7 and 9 (<a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-3\/\">TLR7 &amp; TLR9<\/a>), cause misregulation of inflammation and promote an inflammatory response. A pathway mutation that occurs is in the cell death pathway (<a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-3\/\">cell apoptosis<\/a>). In patients with lupus, their healthy cells aren\u2019t killing <a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/microbiology\/chapter\/b-lymphocytes-and-humoral-immunity\/\">overmatured B cells<\/a> (a type of white blood cell that attacks foreign invaders or antigens) which eventually morph into <a href=\"https:\/\/labtestsonline.org\/tests\/autoantibodies\">autoantibodies<\/a>, cells that can\u2019t differentiate between healthy and foreign cells. Lupus requires certain \u201ctriggers\u201d from both genetics and other factors that start the onset of the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lupus is hard to diagnose because each person with the disease is unique. It is often referred to as the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/cihr-irsc.gc.ca\/e\/49518.html\">disease of 1000 faces<\/a>\u201d because each person has different symptoms and different exposures that can trigger symptoms. The combination of genetics, hormones, sex, and environment plays a crucial role in how the disease progresses in each patient and how symptoms are identified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How is SLE <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/diagnosis-and-treatment\/\">diagnosed and treated?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rheumatology.org\/I-Am-A\/Patient-Caregiver\/Diseases-Conditions\/Lupus\">The American College of Rheumatology<\/a> uses a standard classification scheme to confirm a diagnosis. A person has to meet at least <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lupusresearch.org\/understanding-lupus\/diagnosis-and-treatment\/diagnosis\/\">4 out of the 11 criteria<\/a> to obtain a lupus diagnosis. Some criteria include physical symptoms and internal inflammation. A person must have a positive <a href=\"https:\/\/labtestsonline.org\/tests\/antinuclear-antibody-ana\">auto-nucleic antibody (ANA) test<\/a>, which tests for autoantibodies in the body. This ANA test confirms that there is some form of attack on healthy tissue. A doctor will also consider a family history of lupus and environmental triggers like having mono (EBV), radiation, or drugs that could induce symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/lupus-symptoms-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/lupus-symptoms-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/lupus-symptoms-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/lupus-symptoms-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/lupus-symptoms-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/lupus-symptoms-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/lupus-symptoms.jpg 1062w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><figcaption>A brief overview of the diverse symptoms of lupus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In terms of treatment of lupus, each case is individualized based on the symptoms and current organ damage. The main treatment aims are to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/323653#treatment\">prevent and manage flares and reduce the risk of organ damage<\/a>. Medications like anti-inflammatories are used to reduce inflammation and in extreme cases, chemo may be used to put symptoms into remission. Research is still underway for better, healthier options to treat the disease; including creating new drugs that directly treat lupus and <a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/what-now-how-do-you-challenge-a-multifaceted-disease\/\">immunotherapy research<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/My-Post-1-512x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162\" width=\"638\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/My-Post-1-512x1024.png 512w, https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/My-Post-1-150x300.png 150w, https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/My-Post-1-768x1536.png 768w, https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/My-Post-1-1024x2048.png 1024w, https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/My-Post-1.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>For more information, please see the table of contents below for the different theme pages I have created on what SLE is.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Website Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">Start Here: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Individual Theme Pages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-1\/\">A Brief History of Lupus<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-2\/\">What is the Healthy Immune System?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/theme-page-3\/\">Polymorphisms  &#8211; The Genetic Role<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/risk-factors-how-environmental-and-genetics-combined-make-the-perfect-disease\/\">Risk Factors &#8211; How Environmental Factors Combined with Genetics Create the Perfect Disease<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/diagnosis-and-treatment\/\">Diagnosis and treatment<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/what-now-how-do-you-challenge-a-multifaceted-disease\/\">What Now? How do you Challenge a Multifaceted Disease?<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/lupus-nephritis-a-deeper-understanding\/annotated-bibliography\/\">Annotated Bibliography<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/\"><strong>Website Home Page<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease where healthy cells from connective tissues are mistakenly attacked by a person\u2019s own immune system. SLE is intriguing in that it can attack multiple organs and cause diverse symptoms that are unique in each patient diagnosed. However, since SLE is complex and causes total body symptoms &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/bcm-441\/cue-project-blog-systemic-lupus-erythematosus\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;CUE Project Blog: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bcm-441"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/My-Post.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163,"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions\/163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathrynhodges.bergbuilds.domains\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}