What is Lupus?

Lupus forms part of the so-called autoimmune diseases. The immunological system of the body normally produce proteins called antibodies in order to protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and other foreign substances called antigens.

In an autoimmune disease, like lupus, the immunological system mistakenly identifies the body's own cells as if they were foreign particles (antigens) and it goes into action to remove them, producing antibodies “against itself”. These antibodies are called autoantibodies and are bound with their own antigens to form immune complexes that are the cause of the inflammation and damage in the tissues.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as it name indicates, is also a systemic disease. This means that it can affect many organs (skin, joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, etc.), but half of the patients with lupus are affected, almost exclusively, in the skin and joints.

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease, which means that the action of the immune system produces inflammation in the organs affected that persist for a long period of time and even for life. However, lupus is characterised by combining periods of major activity or flare-ups (exacerbation) with others of inactivity (remission).

With the appropriate follow-up and treatment, more than 90% of people with lupus have a normal life expectancy. It can present in different grades and intensities: there are mild cases, as well as moderate and severe that are more difficult to treat and control.