Canada Pharmacy Talks about Treating Lupus

There are times that it takes decades for individuals to manifest lupus symptoms. That wasn't for Marisa Zeppieri-Caruana, who experienced several classic systemic lupus erythematosus indications -- such as, a butterfly-shaped rash on her face, a daily fever and achy joints -- that her doctor knew right away that the 23-year-old had the sickness. And, the doctor prescribed her to buy Imuran. 

"An average day for me includes fatigue and fever. It's really hard to try to put weight on, and I usually don't feel like doing anything. I have to take a nap every day," she explained. 

"It's almost like I'm carrying a backpack all day long. Sometimes it's only 10 pounds, but sometimes it's much more. So even if I'm doing little things, it's like I'm doing them with an elephant on my back. It's exhausting carrying that extra load all the time," she said. Still, she’s thankful to Canada pharmacy for providing her medical needs whenever lupus symptoms show. 

"The female-to-male ratio is nine to one and, in general, lupus is diagnosed in women of childbearing age," according to Dr. Howard R. Smith, a rheumatologist at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio. 

"For example, many people are getting diagnosed sooner than they did in years past," said Dr. Kenneth Kalunian, a member of the Lupus Foundation of America's Medical-Scientific Advisory Council, and professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. "Things are definitely improving in getting a diagnosis, but there's still a lag time in people with less specific symptoms. But it's markedly increased from just 10 years ago," he said. And, treatments have improved as well. Generic Imuran for example is an evident of advanced medication. 

"Lupus can take a long time to recognize. It mimics many other diseases, and it's important to make sure a patient doesn't have an infection or a malignancy," said Dr. Michelene Hearth-Holmes, an assistant professor of internal medicine and rheumatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Omaha. 

"Lupus can be a disease that affects patients from head to toe," Smith said. 

"No two cases of lupus are alike. Each patient has to be treated as an individual. Symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening," Hearth-Holmes said. 

"It's a very promising time in lupus research. It's reminiscent of where rheumatoid arthritis was 10 to 15 years ago when many patients ended up in wheelchairs. I don't see many rheumatoid arthritis patients in wheelchairs anymore," Kalunian said. 

Smith said, "it's crucial that people don't smoke if they have lupus. Smoking is terrible for lupus patients because there can be blood-vessel involvement." 

"Inactivity leads to problems on its own. Bones become thinner and it gets harder for people with swollen joints to move them," he said. 

Lupus erythematosus is a category for a collection of diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity (autoimmune disease). Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs. Four main types of lupus exist: systemic lupus erythematosus, discoid lupus erythematosus, drug-induced lupus erythematosus, and neonatal lupus erythematosus. Of these, systemic lupus erythematosus (also known as SLE) is the most common and serious form of lupus. 

Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissue. When the body's immune system is operating normally it produces antibodies to fight viruses and bacteria and other antigens. Lupus makes the antibodies created unable to differentiate between antigens and healthy tissue causing the antibodies to attack healthy tissue. Resulting symptoms include inflammation, swelling, damage to joints, skin, kidneys, blood, heart and lungs.