Aging With Lupus

Treating lupus requires a team, a laser-focused approach involving a personalized treatment plan, medication and lots of support

By Debbie L. Miller|

September 7, 2023

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune condition where the immune system reacts against itself and attacks the body’s healthy cells, tissues and organs, causing inflammation and damage. It can affect the joints, blood cells, kidneys, skin, brain, lungs or heart.

“People with lupus can experience significant symptoms such as painful joints, extreme fatigue, hair loss, skin rashes, cognitive issues and physical impairments that affect every facet of their lives,” | Credit: Getty

Symptoms of Lupus

“People with lupus can experience significant symptoms such as painful joints, extreme fatigue, hair loss, skin rashes, cognitive issues and physical impairments that affect every facet of their lives,” said Karen Costenbader, MD, a rheumatologist and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Lupus Program Director at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Cardiovascular issues and stroke can also be part of lupus.

For Carolyn Lawhorn, 66, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, her path to her lupus diagnosis led her to visit several primary care physicians over two years, starting at age 42, complaining of fatigue, swelling, and joint pain. “I ended up in the ER after getting to the point of being too weak to walk and was admitted and diagnosed by a rheumatologist,” she said.

“Making a lupus diagnosis can be like putting together a puzzle.”

Lupus is hard to diagnose, and no test gives a simple yes or no answer. “Making a lupus diagnosis can be like putting together a puzzle,” Costenbader explained.

There are four types of lupus; 70% of individuals have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), which affects multiple organs. Other kinds include Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (limited to the skin); Drug-Induced Lupus (mostly reversible); and Neonatal Lupus, which usually resolves itself in six months.

But Who Gets Lupus?

The Lupus Foundation of America reports that women comprise 90% of the 1.5 million Americans with lupus. The condition usually affects…