Anyone diagnosed with Lupus wonders what they might be facing. There are various treatment options available for this troubling disease. This article explains these treatment options so the patient knows what to expect in the fight against this disease. Discuss all treatment options available with your doctor or health care professional before starting a treatment plan.
Lupus Treatment
Generally each treatment option is tailored to the individual need. In most cases, the symptoms of lupus are treated by an assortment of medications. The patient will normally be referred to a rheumatologist for treatment options. This doctor specializes in the diseases of the muscles and joints. If for some reason there has been damage to any major organs there could also be other specialist(s) involved in the treatment process.
The main goals for lupus doctors are:
- help reduce the chances of damage to major organs
- reduce inflammation
- build a stronger immune system
- help prevent “flare-ups” and treat flare-ups accordingly as they happen
- help control tiredness and joint discomfort
- treat muscle fatigue
Some of the medications that may be used to help control lupus symptoms are:
corticosteroids are strong anti-inflammatory drugs that strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation; drugs such as prednisone, hydrocortisone, methylprednisone, and prednisolone are classified as corticosteroids
- antimalarial drugs such as Plaquenil
- aspirin to help with pain and has blood thinning properties
- fluid retention drugs such as Lasix
- high blood pressure drugs such as the beta blocker Lopressor
- Fosamax used to strengthen bones and muscles
- anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen
However, these drugs are not used on women that are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
Often times, lupus is treated by a team of health care professionals and not by a single provider. Reports suggest that up to about 50% of lupus patients may experience non-life threatening symptoms such as joint pain and tiredness. For this reason, lupus should be treated by the severity of medical reflection.
There should be regular follow up doctor appointments for lupus patients regardless of treatment success. This is due to lupus having the characteristics for flare-ups. The disease can go into remission but come back with a vengeance. The antimalarial drugs mentioned above are normally given because they can help with the severity and recurrence of flare-ups. When patients have major organs involved, treatments are an even more important matter. Proper treatment with medications now shows that the lupus 5-year survival rate is over 95%. Before proper medications were available, the 5-year survival rate was less than 50%.
All drugs used in the treatment of lupus go through an extensive evaluation just as any drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There are currently investigational treatments ongoing for lupus. Some drugs before being approved may be under study for up to 15 years. In a lot of studies, patients with other serious diseases may enroll in some of these investigative studies. This will help determine the effectiveness of these drugs under consideration.
Please discuss treatment options with your health care provider. Lupus treatments may work but the disease can also go into remission. Always keep in regular contact with your doctor regardless of the success or failure with treatments. Lupus is a very treatable disease but you need to see your health care provider on a regular basis to maintain and manage this life-threatening condition.
This is another guest post from Tony Bowen. If you wish to submit guest post in Cytogenetics Cancer Research blog, you may follow the guidelines.
Author Bio: Tony Bowen is a content writer for Online Schools and Online MBA who gives advice on the pursuit of education and living a healthy life. She also is a contributing writer for a site that helps students determine the best online nursing programs for them. In his free time he enjoys writing, fishing, hunting, sports, and video games.
miao miao (11)
cancer treatment (6)
Radon (5)