An autoimmune disease is classified as a disease in which the body can not effectively recognize its own cells, causing an overactive immune response against tissues and substances normally produced or present in the body.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with lupus, there are daily challenges which will present themselves. Learning to adjust to the disease and how it will affect your daily life is an important step.

You’ve heard of lupus, right? Lupus is usually short for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus by far. SLE affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans, 90% of whom are women.

Drug-induced lupus is one of three major kinds of lupus. Compared to the other two (Systemic and Discoid), drug-induced lupus is the least common and easiest to treat.

Of the three major kinds of lupus, Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) accounts for about 10% of lupus cases. DLE is usually much less serious than the far more common Systemic Lupus Erythematosus as it affects only the skin.

Before we differentiate between the three types of lupus, let’s talk about how this disease works in general. The symptoms of all lupus types result from the same thing; auto-antibodies.

There are four types of lupus including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE), Drug-Induced Lupus, and Neonatal Lupus.

Before becoming pregnant you should talk with your doctor about your lupus condition. You can greatly reduce the risk of pregnancy complications if you lupus is under tight control or in remission.

In any autoimmune disease, the immune system is attacking some part of the body as foreign. Normally, protein tags called antibodies are released by the immune system to help identify foreign objects.

Unlike some autoimmune diseases, lupus is a notorious for causing problems in multiple systems throughout the body, furthering complicating its treatment for the many people who suffer from it.