A 77-year-old woman seeks advice regarding her diagnosis of incomplete lupus and the side effects she's experiencing from Plaquenil.
Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 77-year-old female. After experiencing hair thinning for over a year, I was diagnosed with incomplete lupus by a rheumatologist. My blood markers were high, but I don’t have typical symptoms. My primary care physician and cardiologist aren’t convinced, and I don’t “feel” like I have it. I started taking Plaquenil, which is very hard on my digestive system.
I get severe gas pains in my chest for a couple of hours in the evening, even though I take it with both food and milk. What is the benefit of Plaquenil? Will I do harm if I stop taking it? Is there another drug I can take? I see my rheumatologist in February and will ask them these questions, but I wanted your opinion. C.R. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease, while cutaneous lupus are a group of diseases where lupus is localized to the skin. Systemic lupus often includes the skin, and people can have cutaneous lupus as part of systemic lupus. But cutaneous lupus can exist without other systemic involvement. Systemic lupus is an uncommon disease, diagnosed in approximately 1 person per 10,000 each year. The diagnosis of SLE is not always straightforward. The blood tests used as a screening test (such as the antinuclear antibodies and anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies) are not definitive. In addition to skin findings, systems affected by lupus include the joints, the lungs and heart (or their linings), the kidneys, the central nervous system, and the blood and blood vessels. “Incomplete lupus” is a term used to describe a person who has some symptoms of lupus but not enough to make the diagnosis with certainty. Only a subgroup of people who are diagnosed this way will go on to develop other symptoms of SLE. Plaquenil is used for both systemic lupus and cutaneous lupus. Since the one symptom you have told me about is hair loss, I can tell you that about 60% to 70% of lupus patients experienced hair regrowth with Plaqueni
LUPUS AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE MEDICATION SIDE EFFECTS DIAGNOSIS
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Grace Lore temporarily stepping away from minister role due to cancer diagnosisGrace Lore says she will stay on as MLA for Victoria but will be stepping away from her minister position after a cancer diagnosis.
Read more »
Grace Lore steps down as minister following cancer diagnosisLore said in a statement Thursday that she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in late November
Read more »
B.C. children's minister stepping away from role after colorectal cancer diagnosisBritish Columbia's Minister of Children and Family Development Grace Lore says she has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and is temporarily stepping away from her role as minister.
Read more »
B.C. children's minister stepping away from role after colorectal cancer diagnosisBritish Columbia's Minister of Children and Family Development Grace Lore says she has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and is temporarily stepping away from her role as minister.
Read more »
B.C. children's minister stepping away from role after colorectal cancer diagnosisBritish Columbia's Minister of Children and Family Development Grace Lore says she has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and is temporarily stepping away from her role as minister.
Read more »
B.C. children's minister stepping away from role after colorectal cancer diagnosisBritish Columbia's Minister of Children and Family Development Grace Lore says she has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and is temporarily stepping away from her role as minister.
Read more »