7 Celebrities Who Have Lupus

Picture attribution from left to right: Selena Gomez by wmm4u.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60410551@N08/5507629838. Seal. Alchetron.

https://alchetron.com/Seal-(musician)-402188-W. Nick Cannon by Mrna Litt. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/myrnalitt/5159201233.

Lupus affects many people around the world with 1.5 million people suffering from it in the US alone. Because of this alarming rate, it's not surprising that even celebrities have this long-term illness.

But while these celebrities have lupus and aren't afraid to say it and help raise awareness, they do not let it keep them down from their work.

Read on to find out the list of celebrities who have been diagnosed with lupus and are currently fighting it. You'll also find a quick overview of the disease to raise awareness and prevent it from happening to you or your loved ones.

What is lupus?

Lupus is known as systemic lupus erythematosus, which is an autoimmune condition. This disease attacks the tissues throughout the body, which leads to damage and susceptibility to illnesses. This adverse condition would have your body mistake your tissue as foreign invaders, resulting in your body attacking itself. There are different types of lupus, and while some people only suffer from minor symptoms, others can be more severe and will need a drastic change to treat the disease and relieve you from the symptoms.

1. Discoid Lupus Erythematosus: This affects the skin when exposed to sunlight, and it does not affect your internal organs. This type of lupus would leave scars after the lesions heal.
2. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: This is a more serious type of lupus, as it affects both the skin and vital organs, leaving scars and the typical butterfly-shaped rash on your face that most lupus sufferers have.

Causes and Symptoms

There is no exact reason why anyone gets this disease. However, studies show that the disorder would occur mostly in African, Native American, or Asian descents when compared to Caucasians. Also, while the disease can happen to both men and women, 90 percent of the illness occurs in women, usually of childbearing age. As for the symptoms, you may experience the following:

• Painful or swollen joints
• Unexplained fever
• Extreme tiredness
• Skin rashes
• Ankles that begin to swell and accumulate fluid
• Chest pain while breathing deeply
• Butterfly-shaped rash
• Loss of hair
• Sensitive to sun or light
• Seizures
• Sores located in the nose or mouth
• Pale or purple fingertips and toes
• Kidney problems or low blood pressure (fatal)

The range of symptoms and what affects you will vary from person-to-person. Some people may only have a few symptoms, while others experience more.

Treatment

Unfortunately, there is no cure for lupus, and there are only studies being done on finding the medication that will help identify the reason as to why your body attacks its own tissues and how to correct it. It is treatable through medication and making new lifestyle changes, such as:

• Diet: Eating nutritious foods with less sugar and sodium has helped decrease inflammation.
• Pain Management: You can follow home remedies such as warm baths, hot compresses, or bed rest if you feel fatigued.
• Exercise: Exercises such as walking, swimming, cycling, or aerobics are known to prevent muscle atrophy and help with your joints.
• Therapy: Physical therapy can help relieve the pain you feel around the joints while strengthening the muscles and decreasing stress.
• Stress: You will need to make sure that you control your fatigue and stress through relaxing exercises and maintaining healthy relationships with the people you love.

Living a healthier life and quitting vices will help as well. You may also need to decrease your workload to focus more on your health.