Reflection on Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system attacks various organs or cells of the body causing damage and dysfunction. This is a disease that has affected many people in the world. In the beginning I knew a little about lupus and what it was, but there was a lot that I didn't know about it.

Throughout this assignment I have learned many new things about lupus including additional symptoms that I didn't know about, treatments and conditions, and also celebrities that have this disease as well. Learning these new things has not only taught me something new but it has also taught me information that I can use to fully understand the power of lupus. It has also taught me how to understand, in a sense, how victims of lupus maybe feeling mentally and/or physically and possible ways that I maybe able to help them in their time of need.

Another new fact that I've learned throughout the completion of this project is that Lupus has been around for a very long time. I thought lupus probably had just come around in the 1800's but facts have proven that this disease has been around as early as the 13th century instead. This new fact has taught me that many people before our loved ones and the now famous celebrities have suffered from lupus or at least showed some of the symptoms that we now have names for and proof of.

I'm glad that I decided to do lupus as my topic for this project because I have learned a lot of use information. Another reason that I am glad that I did this project is because I believe that it may help others as well. This blog can help not only people with lupus, but also people that know other people that have lupus, and people that are interested in knowing and understanding this disease.

Celebrities That Have Lupus and/or Support Lupus Organizations

Some people dont realize that there are many celebrities in the world that have lupus or support a lupus organization. Most people look up to them like they are some king of "Gods" that don't undergo any kind of pain or problems. But little do they know that this is the farthest thing from the truth. Seal Samuel is a famous musician who suffers from lupus. Mercedes Yvette, a member of America's Next Top Mode cycle two, is another person that suffers from lupus. And lastly, the "King of pop" himself, is a victim of lupus. These are only a few of the many celebrities that suffer from this powerful disease.

Seal has suffered with lupus since early in his childhood. He battled with discoid lupus and it left him with facial scars and hair loss. Mercedes also has suffered from hair loss and she takes medication for it as well. Micheal Jackson was diagnosed with Systemic lupus erythematosus in 2007.
There are so many celebrites that also support a number of lupus foundations and organizations. Some support these organizations because they just want to help out. Others, on the other hand, support because it is more personal for them, maybe they also have the disease or someone close to them does.
American Idol judge, Paula Abdul, supports lupus organizations. She supports Lupus LA and even gave u her seat on American Idol one day just to be at Lupus LA’s Loop Award ceremony. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett are a famous couple that support victims of lupus. They have done a lot to raise both money and awareness for lupus research. In fact one of Jada's aunts almost died from this disease. Malcolm Warner, a former actor from the Cosby Show, also has raised money and awareness for lupus research.

Jennifer Aniston, Hillary Swank, and Sheldon Brown are just a few from the many celebrities that also help out.

The History of Lupus

Lupus is a disease that has been around for centuries. One of the earliest times that it appeared is the 13th century.

13th Century:


This is when the "butterfly rashes" first were mentioned. They appear on a person's face above his or her cheeks. The term Lupus is a Latin word for wolf. A physician by the name of Rogerius used the term to describe an infected patch of skin on the face that resemble the bites and scratches made y a wolf's attack.

19th Century:


Thomas Bateman, Cazenaze, and Moriz Kaposi described the various features of Lupus.

1833, 1846, 1856, 1872, and 1894:


In 1833 Cazenave decribes discoid lesions for the first time. Von Hebra describes the butterfly rash in 1846. In 1856 the first illustrations of Lupus erythematosus was published by Von Hebra in his Atlas of Skin Disease. The systemic nature of the disease was first described by Kaposi. He also states that there are two types of Lupus: the discoid form and the disseminated form. Payne first discusses quinine in treating lupus.

1904, 1908, 1939, and 1948:

Osler in Baltimore and Jadassohn in Vinnea work established disseminated or systemic forms of lupus in 1904. In 1908 "Lupic pneumonia" was described by Alfred Kraus and Carl Bohac. They also recongnized lung involvement. Leukopenia and hypersensitivity to sunlight are first described in cases of lupus erythematosus in 1939. In 1948 Phillip Hench discovers cortisone, which provids the greatest therapy for lupus to date. The LE cell was also discovered by hargraves and colleagues , resulting in the application of immunology to the study of Lupus. This led to the development of a series of tests for antibodies, which allowed doctors and researchers to identify and define the disease in a more rigorous way. These are the ‘fluorescent tests’, which detect the antibodies that attack the nucleus of cells.

More history about lupus is located at: http://cure4lupus.org/information/history_of_lupus.htm and also http://babyboomeradvisorclub.wordpress.com/2007/04/13/the-history-of-lupus/

Credible Vs. Non-Credible Sources for Lupus

There are many credible as well as non-credible sources throughout the internet. Sometimes people dont realize what maybe credible or non-credible while they are researching a specific topic of choice or interest. Credible sources have a description and heading that indicates the website is focused on your specific topic of choice. It has few ads and information that is clearly footnoted or explained where the author received their information. Non- Credible sources, on the other the hand, has a ".com" web domain which means that anyone could have put information on the site. There are more than four ads on the page and there is no clear author.

Some Credible Sources are:

http://www.lupus.org/ is a credible source because it is a non-profit organization. The author is the Lupus Foundation of America and they have experience in this very important topic. Another reason why this site is a credible source is because there are no ads on this website at all.

http://www.womenshealth.gov/ is also a credible source. This website ends in ".gov" which means that it is a government organization. They clearly state where they recieved their information and where you can go to receive extra information. There are also no ads on this site.

Some Non-Credible Sources are:

http://www.wikipedia.com/ is an example of a non-credible source for a couple of reasons. There is no clear author and the people who placed these pieces of information on this site are not really experienced in this areas. The sources of information aren't really explained properly either.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/ is also a non-credible source because it ends in ".com" so anyone one could have added this information and we really dont know the author(s). Its main focus isn't lupus, however there is some information offered about lupus. The information is not really footnoted either.

Why lupus is personal for me

This disease hits home for me. I know two people with it. One person is my step-mother and she has full blown lupus. The other person is my friend in school and she just has a strong trait that comes and goes. They make me want to learn and know everything there is to know about it. I want to know when they are undergoing some of the symptoms and what can I do to help if it is possible to do so.

I know there is not a cure, but I wonder if there is some type of treatment for it. Since I know some one with this disease I wish there was a cure. They make me want to create a cure and do marathons to raise money for them. Since I am not physically going through what they are going through I am emotionally because I can not assist them. I feel hopeless when I know they are having lupus attacks and I can’t do anything. So being knowledgeable in many ways to ease the pain or help them cool off is the only way I can help them.

I am happy they are still living normal lives and not letting this get them down. I am also happy that neither one of them lost their hair. One symptom I know about is losing hair and I’m happy it didn’t get to them. I am ecstatic that they have not experienced the extreme of what lupus can do to ones body. My friend in school does get the joint pain every once in a while, but she deals with it by playing sports, dancing, and exercising to keep it under control. My godmother also goes through the joint pain, but instead of playing sports, she has to take medicine and exercise.

Lupus: What I Know & What I Wanna Know

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body. Some of the organs that lupus can affect are the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain.

Lupus is a very sensitive subject for a lot of people and not just that people that have this disease. but also their loved ones. There are some things that I know about this subject, but there are also a lot of things that I don't know but are interested in learning. I would like to find out how do you get lupus? Is there a cure for it and what are the symptoms? In addition to that, I would like to know who is more at risk? Are woman more at risk than men? Are younger people more at risk than someone who is older? Lastly I would like to know what are the treatments that you can take if you have lupus?

I've learned that their isn't a cure for lupus. I found this out from 2 people that I personally know. One of them has been diagnoised with lupus and the other has the trait. Although there isn't a cure for this disease, adjustments in your everyday life will help out. Lupus, in the United States is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans than Caucasians. More information is also given at http://www.lupus.org/.

Some symptoms for Lupus are hair loss, fever, skin rash, extreme fatigue, and painful or swollen joints. When symptoms girst appear, it may take months or years for a person to get diagnosed because there is no single test that can be taken to diagnose people with lupus. However, there are blood test that doctors can use to help diagnose lupus.

There are treatments that can be taken for lupus. However, a person's treatment depends on their signs and symptoms.