These both diseases can occur simultaneously and lead to very serious consequences. Lupus is autoimmune, while EDS is inherited. Continue reading to learn more about EDS and Lupus association.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the human’s body immune system gets hyperactive and assaults normal, healthy tissue over time. Swelling, inflammation and damage to joints and multiple organs such as skin, kidneys, heart, blood, and lungs occur in Lupus.
While Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a disorder that causes your body’s connective tissues to deteriorate. Tendons and ligaments, for example, are connective tissues that hold your body together. Your joints may become loose, and your skin may become thin and easily bruised as a result of EDS. It can also cause blood vessels and organs to weaken.
Serious consequences of having both Lupus and EDS:
We think that people affected with both Lupus and EDS hit the jackpot when it comes to chronic, invisible illnesses. Both can cause joint pain, fatigue, brain fog and severe weakness, so it’s hard to know which illness is causing which symptom most of the time. Oh, and neither has a cure.
People with both syndromes must know that multiple chronic illnesses would play a major role if they were ever to have kids. But most people, before they become parents, had no idea how difficult it was going to be. Even an average woman experiences exhaustion and pain and is mentally drained during the first few months of parenthood. Add in Lupus, which thrives on an overly-stressed body, and EDS leave the body weak and wreck it. Patients had no clue how they would survive this, but they had to; it was their only option.
Lupus:
Lupus is an autoimmune disease for which the specific cause is unknown. Lupus is sometimes referred to as the “disease of 1,000 faces” because of its complexity. Roughly 16,000 new cases of Lupus are reported each year in the United States, with up to 1.5 million people living with the disease. According to the Lupus Foundation, Lupus is more common in women than in males, and it usually strikes between the ages of 13 and 44. Lupus became well-known in 2015 after singer Selena Gomez revealed she had been diagnosed with the disease in her late teens and had undergone treatment. Lupus is a non-infectious disease. It cannot be passed from one person to another sexually or in any other way. On the other hand, women with Lupus may give birth to children who develop a form of Lupus. This is referred to as neonatal Lupus.
What causes the immune system to malfunction?
Several genetic variables are likely to have a role in the progression of SLE. Some genes aid the immune system in the body. Changes in these genes may cause the immune system to malfunction in persons with SLE. According to Genetics Home Reference, one plausible idea involves cell death, which is a natural process that occurs as the body renews its multiple cells. Some scientists believe that the body does not get rid of dead cells due to genetic reasons. These lingering dead cells may produce chemicals that wreak havoc on the immune system.
Risk factors: Hormones, environment, and genes
Lupus may develop due to a variety of conditions. Genetic, hormonal, environmental, or a combination of these factors may be at play.
1. Hormones
Hormones are chemical molecules produced by the body. They govern and govern the functioning of specific cells or organs.
The hormonal activity could be to blame for the following danger signs:
- According to the National Institutes of Health in the United States, females are nine times more likely than males to have Lupus. Because females account for 9 out of 10 cases of Lupus, experts have looked into a possible relation between oestrogen and the disease. Both women and men produce estrogen, but women produce more.
- Age: During the reproductive years, symptoms and diagnosis are most common between the ages of 15 and 45. However, according to Genetics Home Reference, 20% of cases emerge after the age of 50.
- Scientists discovered that oestrogen could impact immunological function and create lupus antibodies in animals prone to Lupus in a review published in 2016.
- This could explain why women/females are more susceptible to autoimmune disorders than males. Women with lupus report more acute pain and exhaustion during menstruation, according to researchers who published a scientific study on self-reported flares in 2010. This indicates that flare-ups are more likely now.
- There is insufficient data to conclude that oestrogen is the cause of Lupus. If a relationship exists, estrogen-based medication may be able to control the severity of Lupus. More research is needed, though, before doctors can recommend it as a treatment.
2. Genetic determinants
Although Lupus is more common in some families, researchers have yet to confirm that a unique hereditary component causes it.
The following risk factors for Lupus could be due to genetic factors:
- Lupus can affect persons of any race; however, it is two to three times more common in persons of colour than in the white population. Asian, Hispanic, and Native North/South American women are more likely to have it.
- A person with Lupus who has a first- or second-degree relative with the disease is more likely to develop it. Scientists have discovered several affected genes that may play a role in the development of Lupus, but there is insufficient evidence to confirm that they are the cause of the disease. Even though identical twins grow up together and have the same environmental exposures, one twin may get Lupus while the other does not.
- According to a study published in 2017, if one twin in a pair has Lupus, the other has a 25% probability of developing the condition. Identical twins are more prone to suffer from the disease.
- Lupus can strike people who have never had the disease before, but other autoimmune disorders are running in the family. Thyroiditis, hemolytic anemia, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura are examples.
- Changes in the X-chromosomes, according to some, may influence the risk.
3. The surrounding environment
Environmental factors, such as multiple viruses or various chemicals, may play a role in the onset of Lupus in genetically predisposed individuals
The following are examples of possible environmental triggers:
- Tobacco exposure may have contributed to an increase in the number of cases in recent decades.
- Sunlight exposure has been suggested as a possible cause.
- Medication: According to Genetics Home Reference, around 10% of cases may be drug-related.
- Infections with viruses: These can cause symptoms in those who are prone to SLE.
Lupus is not considered contagious, and it cannot be passed from one person to another sexually.
4. Microbiota in the gut
The gut microbiome has recently been investigated as a possible contributor to the development of Lupus.
Are children in danger?
Unless their birth mother has Lupus, Lupus is uncommon in children under the age of 15 years. In this situation, a child’s heart, liver, or skin problems could be caused by Lupus.
Infants born with neonatal Lupus are more likely to have another autoimmune disease later in life.
Signs and Symptoms
During flare-ups, the symptoms of Lupus appear. People frequently have periods of remission between flare-ups when they have little or no symptoms.
Lupus manifests itself in a variety of ways, including:
- fever
- hair loss
- exhaustion
- glands or lymph nodes that are enlarged
- a lack of appetite and a loss of weight
- aches and pains in the joints and muscles
- Swelling in the legs
- chest ache when you take a big breath
- rashes on the skin as a result of internal bleeding
- ulcers in the mouth
- arthritic pain
- Sun sensitivity is a condition that occurs when a person is exposed to the sun
- throbbing headaches
- Raynaud’s phenomenon (purple or pale fingers or toes caused by cold or stress)
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a condition that causes your body’s connective tissues to deteriorate. Tendons and ligaments, for example, are connective tissues that hold your body together. Your joints may become floppy, and your skin may become thin and easily bruised as a result of EDS. It can also cause blood vessels and organs to weaken. Although EDS has no cure, the symptoms can typically be treated and managed.
Different types of EDS
Although there are different varieties of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, they all cause your joints to become loose and weak, as well as your skin to become extraordinarily elastic.
- The most common type of EDS causes you to flex your joints more than they should. They’re more likely to be dislocated or sprained as a result of this. This type of sickness, known as hypermobility, affects up to 1 in 10,000 people.
- Your skin is smooth, highly flexible, and fragile if you have the classic form of EDS. Scars on the skin around the knees and elbows are common in people with this type, and they bruise quickly. They’re also more prone to develop sprains, dislocations, or flat feet, as well as a heart valve or artery problems. This type of EDS affects around one out of every 20,000 to 40,000 persons.
- The vascular variety of EDS affects about 1 in every 250,000 people. This type weakens blood vessels and increases the risk of organ tears.
Other forms of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome are extremely uncommon:
- Around 60 cases of kyphoscoliosis have been discovered around the world. When a baby is born with weak muscles and bones, this is known as rickets. They frequently have exceptionally lengthy arms or fingers, as well as a bent spine that worsens with age. They are also more likely to suffer vision issues, such as shortsightedness or glaucoma, caused by too much pressure inside the eye.
- Babies with the arthritic variants of EDS are born with their hip joints misaligned. Their joints are exceedingly lax, and their spines are bent in the same way as people with kyphoscoliosis. This type of instance has been identified in about 30 cases.
- Dermatosparaxis is the rarest kind of EDS, with only a few dozen instances reported. People with this condition have unusually soft, doughy skin that bruises and scars readily. Hernias are also more common in them.
Reasons for this
EDS is caused by your body’s inability to produce a protein called collagen properly. Collagen aids in the formation of the bonds that hold your bones, skin, and organs together. If there’s a problem with it, such structures are likely to be weak and have issues.
EDS is a hereditary condition. This indicates that it is a gift from your parents. You’re more than likely to get this ailment if one of your parents has it.
