Outlook for lupus brightens
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 44-year-old woman and have just been told I have lupus. Please provide some information on it. I have two children, and I want to know if I’ll be a part of their future. — J.A.
ANSWER: Systemic lupus erythematosus, the kind of lupus that involves the entire body, is an illness where the immune system attacks many organs and tissues. Proof of immune involvement is found in antibodies that appear in the course of the illness, and they are instrumental in establishing its diagnosis.
Lupus happens mostly to women of childbearing years. Ninety percent of patients are women, and blacks are the ethnic group with the highest incidence of it.
A frequent sign is a red rash that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose. It has the silhouette of a butterfly. Joints of the hands, wrists and knees often swell and hurt. Other joints can also be involved. Pain and swelling can come and go, or they can be permanent.
Nerves, brain, lungs, heart and digestive tract can be also be targets of the immune attack.
Kidney involvement — which, in previous times, was difficult to treat and did shorten life — is detected through urine and blood tests.
What happens to a particular individual with lupus is unpredictable, but most lead a long and active life. Treatment might be nothing more than anti-inflammatory medicines, such as Indocin, or it might be medicines that act on the immune system, such as cortisone or cyclophosphamide.
If you are like most lupus patients, you can expect to be around for a long time and to see your children’s children.
The arthritis booklet outlines lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis in greater detail. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 301W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.50 U.S./$6.50 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.
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DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Is it safe for a middle-aged man (53) to lift weights? I have no heart or blood pressure problems, and I have a yearly physical, which I always pass with flying colors. However, I have heard that weightlifting raises blood pressure. Is that so? — K.J.
ANSWER: Excessive straining to lift prodigious amounts of weight transiently raises blood pressure to possibly dangerous levels. Lifters in training for Olympic events have gotten into trouble when lifting extremely heavy weights. A few lifters have raised their blood pressure to such heights that they brought about a split in their aorta. That’s an uncommon complication, and it’s not one you are likely to face unless you try herculean lifts and unless you have not gotten a go-ahead for a lifting program from your doctor.