National Nursing Ebook Continuing Education Summaries

225 Nursing Assessment, Management and Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases

Organs affected by Lupus/ complications

of death in patients with lupus. Kidney disease does not typically cause symptoms until the disease is in the advanced stages. ● Lungs : Lung involvement may cause pleural inflammation, pneumonia, and bleeding into the lungs. ● Skin : Skin problems are common in patients with lupus. These include a characteristic red rash over the cheeks and the bridge of the nose, plaques, skin rashes exacerbated by sunlight, hair loss, and mouth sores. Other types of complications associated with lupus include the following (Mayo Clinic, 2021a): ● Infection : Patients with lupus are more susceptible to infections because the disease and its treatments weaken the immune system. ● Malignancies : Having lupus leads to a small risk of increased vulnerability to malignancies. ● Death of bone tissue : When the bone’s blood supply is reduced, tiny breaks in the bone may occur, leading to the collapse of the bones. ● Complications of pregnancy : Lupus increases the risk of miscarriage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and preterm birth. Healthcare providers often recommend that women should delay pregnancy until the disease has been under control for at least 6 months. Assessment and diagnosis Making a diagnosis of lupus is challeng - ing because signs and symptoms vary considerably among patients and may change overtime. These signs and symp- toms are also common to many other dis- eases (Mayo Clinic, 2021a).

Lupus can affect many different areas of the body, which can lead to complica- tions of various degrees of severity. These include the following (Cleveland Clinic, 2021; Mayo Clinic, 2021a): ● Blood and blood vessels : Lupus may cause serious reductions in the number of red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and/or platelets. Blood vessel inflammation may also occur. These alterations in blood counts may lead to fatigue, anemia, serious infections, and/or easy bruising. Patients are also prone to deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, and stroke. Blood clot development may be linked to the production of antibodies. Note that patients may not have symptoms that suggest blood and blood vessel abnormalities. ● Brain and central nervous system (CNS) : Brain involvement is characterized by headaches, dizziness, behavior changes, vision problems, strokes, and seizures. Memory problems may become evident and patients may have trouble expressing themselves. ● Heart : Lupus may cause inflammation of the heart muscle, pericardium, and arteries. ● Joints : Arthritis is a common finding in patients who have lupus. Joint pain (with or without swelling) and stiffness are noted, especially in the morning after awakening. Arthritis may last for days or weeks or become permanent. ● Kidneys : Kidney complications are found in half of patients with lupus. In fact, kidney damage and kidney failure are one of the leading causes

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