Image From collection/systemic_lupus_erythematosus_1_picture/pict ure.htm

 “Prototype” autoimmune disease  Typically seen in women of childbearing age (Mock, 2011)  Cause officially unknown › Genetic predisposition coupled with environmental trigger? › More common in African American, Hispanic, Asian & Native American populations (National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, 2009)

 Defect: Mechanisms of lupus still poorly understood › Body loses “self-tolerance” › Abnormal DNA methylation leads to over-expression of genes resulting in autoimmunity › The body forms its own antibodies to nuclear components (antigens) › Abnormal T cells  activate B cells, create autoantibodies  Exacerbate autoimmune response and autoantibody formation (Gorelik & Richardson, 2010)

 Autoantibodies Image from:

 Characteristic “butterfly rash” first described by physician Rogerius in 13 th century  Kaposi (1872) described other systemic features: arthritis & psychosis  Current estimated incidence in US: per 100,000 cases  Life expectancy: 5 years of diagnosis (10%) › Many deaths result from long term treatment & immunosuppression  Current diagnostic tests: American College of Rheumatology criteria (4 of 11) › Antinuclear antibody (ANA), malar rash, discoid rash on cheeks, photosensitivity (sunlight), painless mucocutaneous ulcers, nonerosive arthritis (2+ joints), renal dysfunction (proteinuria/cellular casts), neurologic disorder (seizure/psychosis), serositis (pleuritis/pericarditis), hematologic disorders (anemia, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia), immunologic dysfunction  Other tests › complete blood count; urinalysis; serum creatinine level; antiphospholipid antibodies

 Can affect any bodily tissue › Can damage joints, heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, skin and brain  Symptoms are unpredictable and vary › Pain, swelling, fatigue, anemia, rashes/photosensitivity, ulcers and more… (UMMC, 2011) Image from: eshow/article.htm

 90% of those with SLE have a 10 year survival rate, % have a 20 year survival rate (UMMC, 2011) › Kept unchecked, SLE can be fatal Why? The body is attacking itself! Widespread damage, often to major organs Image from: om/2011/07/lupus-rash-quest-for- truth.html

 Study conducted in 2012 at University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands  Compared patients suffering from SLE and lupus nephritis to healthy controls  Found that RAGE polymorphisms associated with pro-inflammatory response had significant involvement with susceptibility to SLE, severity of LN symptoms

 Gorelik, G., & Richardson, B. (2010). Key role of erk pathway signaling in lupus. Autoimmunity, 43(1), doi: /  Martens, HA, Nienhuis, HLA, Gross, S, der Steege, G van, Brouwer, E, Berden, JHM, Sévaux, RGL de, Derksen, RHWM, Voskuyl, AE, Berger, SP, Navis, GJ, Nolte, IM, Kallenberg, CGM, Bijl, M (2012). Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) polymorphisms are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and disease severity in lupus nephritis. Lupus, 21(9). pg  Mok, C. C. (2011). Epidemiology and survival of systemic lupus erythematosus in Hong Kong Chinese. Lupus, 20(7), doi: /

 National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. (2009, Oct.). What is lupus?. Retrieved from sp  Robinson, M, Sheets Cook, S, and Currie, LM (2011). Systemic lupus erythematosus: A genetic review for advanced practice nurses. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 23(12). pg  UMMC. (2011). Systemic lupus erythematosus. Retrieved from htm