Malar Rash is one of the unsightly side effects of Systemic Lupus. Not all rashes of the face indicate a diagnosis of Lupus. The Butterfly Rash has a very specific morphology -- the butterfly pattern. If you are aching "all over" and have joint pain along with the rash, you should definitely speak with your physician about being tested for Lupus. SLE is an autoimmune disease with debilitating inflammation. Some doctors lean on the evidence of Malar Rash to nail down the diagnosis.
The rash has adopted the nickname butterfly rash because it often appears over the upper cheeks and crosses over the nose forming the shape of a butterfly. It is usually a reddish or purplish, nubby rash. The rash can vary in its morphology and color. It may come and go. It may appear only once and then never return even though the patient continues to have other symptoms of Lupus. SLE can affect any organ system, but mainly involves the skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, and nervous system. Some patients develop SLE and find that they will suffer from pain for long seasons; and, then they may go into a pseudo-remission. It is an insidious disease as well that literally attacks skin, joints, blood cells, kidneys and the nervous system.
Patients often state that they were misdiagnosed for years. That is because SLE often looks like other diseases. A myriad of proper clinical findings along with laboratory testing will isolate the condition. An SLE patient must be managed on a regular basis with follow-up lab tests to monitor any new organ involvement. The various therapies must be monitored as well to ensure that the patient is responding appropriately to treatment.
Lupus patients will complain about having pain that is described as "all over" or "everywhere" pain. They may say that one side of the body is more affected than the other. Or they may announce that their arms are particularly aching and throbbing. They feel fatigued and sore and often suspect fibromyalgia or some other condition. Once the Malar Rash appears, they then have a sense that something more serious is happening and seek a diagnosis. Malar Rash varies from patient to patient...Not all Lupus patients will demonstrate a Malar Rash. However, doctors often use the presence of a butterfly rash to narrow down the diagnosis.The rash is usually confined to the face, but can spread in rare cases.
Lupus is not well understood by scientists or the medical community. We know that it is an autoimmune disease which means that there is a problem with the immune response in the body. Harmful and healthy substances are indistinguishable. You might say that the body isn't recognizing "self" and "non-self". It is critical to maintaining health that the body knows what stays and what needs to be scavenged and eliminated. You might look at it like this. If you eat some shrimp, you want the digestive process to recognize and digest only the shrimp and not the stomach lining. Additionally, when the immune systems attacks healthy cells, the immune response is over-activated, causing inflammation. Inflammation equals pain. Fight the Lupus, get rid of the rash.
The rash has adopted the nickname butterfly rash because it often appears over the upper cheeks and crosses over the nose forming the shape of a butterfly. It is usually a reddish or purplish, nubby rash. The rash can vary in its morphology and color. It may come and go. It may appear only once and then never return even though the patient continues to have other symptoms of Lupus. SLE can affect any organ system, but mainly involves the skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, and nervous system. Some patients develop SLE and find that they will suffer from pain for long seasons; and, then they may go into a pseudo-remission. It is an insidious disease as well that literally attacks skin, joints, blood cells, kidneys and the nervous system.
Patients often state that they were misdiagnosed for years. That is because SLE often looks like other diseases. A myriad of proper clinical findings along with laboratory testing will isolate the condition. An SLE patient must be managed on a regular basis with follow-up lab tests to monitor any new organ involvement. The various therapies must be monitored as well to ensure that the patient is responding appropriately to treatment.
Lupus patients will complain about having pain that is described as "all over" or "everywhere" pain. They may say that one side of the body is more affected than the other. Or they may announce that their arms are particularly aching and throbbing. They feel fatigued and sore and often suspect fibromyalgia or some other condition. Once the Malar Rash appears, they then have a sense that something more serious is happening and seek a diagnosis. Malar Rash varies from patient to patient...Not all Lupus patients will demonstrate a Malar Rash. However, doctors often use the presence of a butterfly rash to narrow down the diagnosis.The rash is usually confined to the face, but can spread in rare cases.
Lupus is not well understood by scientists or the medical community. We know that it is an autoimmune disease which means that there is a problem with the immune response in the body. Harmful and healthy substances are indistinguishable. You might say that the body isn't recognizing "self" and "non-self". It is critical to maintaining health that the body knows what stays and what needs to be scavenged and eliminated. You might look at it like this. If you eat some shrimp, you want the digestive process to recognize and digest only the shrimp and not the stomach lining. Additionally, when the immune systems attacks healthy cells, the immune response is over-activated, causing inflammation. Inflammation equals pain. Fight the Lupus, get rid of the rash.
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Looking to find a way out of Lupus and the Malar Rash, then go to Malar rash #1, or visit www.MalarRash.com to find the best advice on Lupus and Malar Rash atSystemic lupus erythematosus #2
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