Lupus Research Paper
Cultural and Disease: Lupus
Shera Frederick
HCS245
May 29, 2013
Janice Withycombe
Cultural and Disease Paper: Lupus
Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with lupus? Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the body’s own tissue and organs, and the body’s systems. The most prominent symptoms of lupus you will start to notice are fatigue, fever, severe joint pain, skin lesions and dry eyes. Some of the bigger issues a person will start to endure are chest pain, shortness of breath, severe headaches, confusion and loss of memory. An individual’s age, sex, and race have a lot to do with how and why they are affected by Lupus.
Lupus is more common in women than in men, but it really isn’t understood, (Shiel, …show more content…
2013). Its peak incidence is after puberty, during a woman’s child bearing years, (Sheil, 2013). Lupus can affect people of all ages, but it is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40 years of age, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Lupus is also three times more common to affect in African American, Hispanic, and Asian women than Caucasian woman, (Iliades, 2013). Lupus may also be a disease that runs in the family, and becomes hereditary, (Iliades, 2013). What actually causes Lupus still remains a mystery, but researchers believe it is a combination of genetics and environment that makes some people more susceptible to getting the disease, (Iliades, 2013). Lupus is considered one of the many conditions known as autoimmune disease, which means when the immune system is healthy it identifies foreign substances like viruses or bacteria and it attacks them, along with the bodies normal cells and tissue as well, (Iliades, 2013). It has also been said that the disease is more prone in women because of their hormones, and after they have reached puberty, (Iliades, 2013).
Many factors contribute to being affected by the disease if it does not run in your family.
Sunlight can be a cause to contracting the Lupus disease. The body will start to obtain skin lesions from being exposed to the sun, or it may trigger and internal response in people that are who may have a predisposition to the disease, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Some medications can trigger Lupus symptoms as well, such as anti-seizure medications, blood pressure medications, and some antibiotics can trigger Lupus, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Most people who have medication induced Lupus normally see their symptoms go away after they discontinue the use of the medication, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Other reasons why some may become ill with the disease could be caused by are viruses, environmental chemicals, or the person’s genetic make-up, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Lupus can also be transmitted through pregnancy. If an expectant mother has Lupus, she can pass antibodies through the placenta to the baby, but the anti-bodies normally go away at about six months to a year in age, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). The baby will normally experience bad rashes on the face, low blood count, and have an enlarged liver, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). At this time, there is no complete cure for Lupus, but there are many different methods used to control …show more content…
it.
There are many ways to manage the disease as well different methods to decrease the number of flare-ups. Prescribed medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain such as Aleve, and ibuprofen, anti-malarial drug called Hydroxychloroquine who do not respond well to Aleve or Ibuprofen, (Shiel, 2013). Corticosteroids are medications prescribed too rapidly to reduce inflammation, (Shiel, 2013). Prednisone is the most commonly used steroid especially with pregnant woman because it crosses the fetus much less than any other steroid, (Shiel, 2012). Doctors Immune Suppressants prescribe quite often with Lupus patients, because the patient seems to become more depressed during flare-ups due to the intense pain and the feeling of helplessness. People with sun-induced rash should protect their skin by using sunscreen, wearing a hat, and covering their skin if possible, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Taking these measures will also reduce the chance of having a flare because ultra violet light can trigger flare-ups as well, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Those that take oral steroids or immune suppressing should immediately stop taking the medication if a fever appears, as fevers can cause flare-ups, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Having Lupus and being a smoker is not a good thing. Being a smoker while having the disease, can increase the risk of having cardiovascular disease, and can worsen the effects of lupus on your heart and blood vessels (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Some of the alternative methods to treating Lupus are to get adequate rest, and exercising regularly. Regular exercise can help decrease recovery time from a flare up, reduce the risk of enduring a heart attack, fights depression, but best of all, promotes overall general well-being, (Mayo Clinic staff, 2012). Eating a healthy diet can play a huge role in a person’s well-being with the disease. Eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains are good to have in a person’s daily diet. Having dietary restrictions can help as well, because some foods can cause high blood pressure, kidney damage, as well as gastrointestinal problems. When having Lupus your social and cultural beliefs may also have an effect on how the disease is treated. “Cultural backgrounds influence how people access and use the healthcare system, which is particularly relevant to lupus because the disease especially targets women of color, (Stephens, 2013). In the United States, lupus is two to three times more prevalent among Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, including people in Hawaii and Alaska”, (Stephens, 2013). In the Asian culture the woman, tend to do a lot of blaming themselves for their children having the disease for not taking proper care of their health. Many of the Asian culture believe diseases are passed down from the mother, or caused by specific actions, (Stephens, 2013). Asian woman also tend to go to the doctor and never question the physicians out of respect for them, but they will then go home and self-medicate themselves with herbs without informing the doctor, (Stephens, 2013). “Although research has not been done on all herbal supplements, taking certain herbs with prescribed medications can be dangerous” (Stephens, 2013). With woman being the most affected by Lupus, there are still different cultures of woman such as African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics they all seek medical attention. Even though they seek medical attention that does not mean that, they follow the doctors’ orders. For instance, the Asian culture will take their herbal supplements instead of the prescribed medications. Although there is not cure for Lupus, there are plenty of health promotions and wellness strategies to keep a healthy lifestyle to prevent frequent flare-ups.
Lupus is a chronic disease that can take over a person’s entire body.
The disease has many symptoms to look out for when being diagnosed. Woman are more likely to get this disease than men, and African American, Asian, and Hispanic woman are three times more than likely to get it then Caucasian woman. Although women are more prone to getting the disease men can also get the disease. Lupus is a very serious disease and affects people differently, so it is very important to maintain a very healthy lifestyle while fighting the
disease.
References
Iliades, C. (2013). Lupus Risk Factors. Retrieved from http://everydayhealth.com/lupus/lupus-risk-factors.aspx
Shiel, C. W. (2013). Lupus. Retrieved from http://www.emedicine.com/lupus_systemic_lupus_erythematosus/article_em.ht
Stephens, S. (2013). Cultural Communications: A Multiculltural Look at Health and Wellness. Retrieved from http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_magazineback.aspx?articleid=&zoneid=
Mayo Clinic Staff,. (2012). Lupus. Retrieved from https://mayoclinic.com/health/lupus/DS00115/DSECTION=causes
Shera Frederick
HCS245
May 29, 2013
Janice Withycombe
Cultural and Disease Paper: Lupus
Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with lupus? Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the body’s own tissue and organs, and the body’s systems. The most prominent symptoms of lupus you will start to notice are fatigue, fever, severe joint pain, skin lesions and dry eyes. Some of the bigger issues a person will start to endure are chest pain, shortness of breath, severe headaches, confusion and loss of memory. An individual’s age, sex, and race have a lot to do with how and why they are affected by Lupus.
Lupus is more common in women than in men, but it really isn’t understood, (Shiel, …show more content…
2013). Its peak incidence is after puberty, during a woman’s child bearing years, (Sheil, 2013). Lupus can affect people of all ages, but it is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40 years of age, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Lupus is also three times more common to affect in African American, Hispanic, and Asian women than Caucasian woman, (Iliades, 2013). Lupus may also be a disease that runs in the family, and becomes hereditary, (Iliades, 2013). What actually causes Lupus still remains a mystery, but researchers believe it is a combination of genetics and environment that makes some people more susceptible to getting the disease, (Iliades, 2013). Lupus is considered one of the many conditions known as autoimmune disease, which means when the immune system is healthy it identifies foreign substances like viruses or bacteria and it attacks them, along with the bodies normal cells and tissue as well, (Iliades, 2013). It has also been said that the disease is more prone in women because of their hormones, and after they have reached puberty, (Iliades, 2013).
Many factors contribute to being affected by the disease if it does not run in your family.
Sunlight can be a cause to contracting the Lupus disease. The body will start to obtain skin lesions from being exposed to the sun, or it may trigger and internal response in people that are who may have a predisposition to the disease, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Some medications can trigger Lupus symptoms as well, such as anti-seizure medications, blood pressure medications, and some antibiotics can trigger Lupus, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Most people who have medication induced Lupus normally see their symptoms go away after they discontinue the use of the medication, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Other reasons why some may become ill with the disease could be caused by are viruses, environmental chemicals, or the person’s genetic make-up, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Lupus can also be transmitted through pregnancy. If an expectant mother has Lupus, she can pass antibodies through the placenta to the baby, but the anti-bodies normally go away at about six months to a year in age, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). The baby will normally experience bad rashes on the face, low blood count, and have an enlarged liver, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). At this time, there is no complete cure for Lupus, but there are many different methods used to control …show more content…
it.
There are many ways to manage the disease as well different methods to decrease the number of flare-ups. Prescribed medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain such as Aleve, and ibuprofen, anti-malarial drug called Hydroxychloroquine who do not respond well to Aleve or Ibuprofen, (Shiel, 2013). Corticosteroids are medications prescribed too rapidly to reduce inflammation, (Shiel, 2013). Prednisone is the most commonly used steroid especially with pregnant woman because it crosses the fetus much less than any other steroid, (Shiel, 2012). Doctors Immune Suppressants prescribe quite often with Lupus patients, because the patient seems to become more depressed during flare-ups due to the intense pain and the feeling of helplessness. People with sun-induced rash should protect their skin by using sunscreen, wearing a hat, and covering their skin if possible, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Taking these measures will also reduce the chance of having a flare because ultra violet light can trigger flare-ups as well, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Those that take oral steroids or immune suppressing should immediately stop taking the medication if a fever appears, as fevers can cause flare-ups, (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Having Lupus and being a smoker is not a good thing. Being a smoker while having the disease, can increase the risk of having cardiovascular disease, and can worsen the effects of lupus on your heart and blood vessels (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Some of the alternative methods to treating Lupus are to get adequate rest, and exercising regularly. Regular exercise can help decrease recovery time from a flare up, reduce the risk of enduring a heart attack, fights depression, but best of all, promotes overall general well-being, (Mayo Clinic staff, 2012). Eating a healthy diet can play a huge role in a person’s well-being with the disease. Eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains are good to have in a person’s daily diet. Having dietary restrictions can help as well, because some foods can cause high blood pressure, kidney damage, as well as gastrointestinal problems. When having Lupus your social and cultural beliefs may also have an effect on how the disease is treated. “Cultural backgrounds influence how people access and use the healthcare system, which is particularly relevant to lupus because the disease especially targets women of color, (Stephens, 2013). In the United States, lupus is two to three times more prevalent among Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, including people in Hawaii and Alaska”, (Stephens, 2013). In the Asian culture the woman, tend to do a lot of blaming themselves for their children having the disease for not taking proper care of their health. Many of the Asian culture believe diseases are passed down from the mother, or caused by specific actions, (Stephens, 2013). Asian woman also tend to go to the doctor and never question the physicians out of respect for them, but they will then go home and self-medicate themselves with herbs without informing the doctor, (Stephens, 2013). “Although research has not been done on all herbal supplements, taking certain herbs with prescribed medications can be dangerous” (Stephens, 2013). With woman being the most affected by Lupus, there are still different cultures of woman such as African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics they all seek medical attention. Even though they seek medical attention that does not mean that, they follow the doctors’ orders. For instance, the Asian culture will take their herbal supplements instead of the prescribed medications. Although there is not cure for Lupus, there are plenty of health promotions and wellness strategies to keep a healthy lifestyle to prevent frequent flare-ups.
Lupus is a chronic disease that can take over a person’s entire body.
The disease has many symptoms to look out for when being diagnosed. Woman are more likely to get this disease than men, and African American, Asian, and Hispanic woman are three times more than likely to get it then Caucasian woman. Although women are more prone to getting the disease men can also get the disease. Lupus is a very serious disease and affects people differently, so it is very important to maintain a very healthy lifestyle while fighting the
disease.
References
Iliades, C. (2013). Lupus Risk Factors. Retrieved from http://everydayhealth.com/lupus/lupus-risk-factors.aspx
Shiel, C. W. (2013). Lupus. Retrieved from http://www.emedicine.com/lupus_systemic_lupus_erythematosus/article_em.ht
Stephens, S. (2013). Cultural Communications: A Multiculltural Look at Health and Wellness. Retrieved from http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_magazineback.aspx?articleid=&zoneid=
Mayo Clinic Staff,. (2012). Lupus. Retrieved from https://mayoclinic.com/health/lupus/DS00115/DSECTION=causes