Sunday, February, 12, 2012

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus - Symptoms

Table of Contents

Leukopenia and Neutropenia. These conditions cause a drop in the number of white blood cells. They are very common in lupus, but the condition is usually harmless unless the reductions are so severe that they leave the patient vulnerable to infections.

Blood Cancers. Patients with SLE and other autoimmune disorders have a greater risk for developing lymph system cancers such as Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

Heart Complications

The risk for cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke is much higher than average in patients with SLE, and heart disease is a primary cause of death. The chronic inflammation associated with SLE can cause plaque build-up in the heart’s arteries (atherosclerosis), which can lead to coronary heart disease and heart attack. SLE also affects blood vessels and circulation. In addition, SLE treatments (particularly corticosteroids) can affect cholesterol, weight, and other factors that impact the heart. [For more information, see In-Depth Report #03: Coronary artery disease.].

Patients with SLE have a higher risk for developing the following conditions, which put them at risk for heart attack or stroke:

  • Atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the arteries
  • Unhealthy cholesterol and lipid (fatty molecules) levels
  • High blood pressure, often associated with kidney damage and corticosteroid treatments
  • Heart failure
  • Pericarditis, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart
  • Endocarditis, inflammation in the lining of the heart
  • Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle itself
  • Coronary vasculitis, inflammation of the blood vessels of the heart
Pericarditis Click the icon to see an image of pericarditis.

Lung Complications

SLE affects the lungs in several ways:

  • Inflammation of the membrane lining the lung (pleurisy) is the most common problem, which can cause shortness of breath and coughing.
  • In some cases, fluid accumulates, a condition called pleural effusion.
  • Inflammation of the lung tissue itself is called lupus pneumonitis. It can be caused by infections or by the SLE inflammatory process. Symptoms are the same in both cases: fever, chest pain, labored breathing, and coughing. Rarely, lupus pneumonitis becomes chronic and causes scarring in the lungs, which reduces their ability to deliver oxygen to the blood.
  • A very serious and rare condition called pulmonary hypertension occurs when high pressure develops as a result of damage to the blood vessels of the lungs.
Primary pulmonary hypertension Click the icon to see an image of primary pulmonary hypertension.

Review Date: 02/18/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)