Dr. Olivia Ghaw from Mount Sinai specializes in patients with rheumatic or connective tissue diseases. She sees about 50 lupus patients a year and speaks about how common the disease really is.

Many celebrities with lupus come out publicly to discuss their battles with the disease and because of this, people treat it like a celebrity issue. However, many would be surprised to find out that nearly 1.5 million people in U.S. have lupus.

What is Lupus?

“Lupus is an inflammatory disorder that affects multiple organs in the body, including the skin, joints and kidneys,” says Ghaw, “It’s a complex disease that can look very different in different people, but increasingly lupus patients can live a normal lifestyle.” She continued, “We don’t have a firm grasp of what causes this autoimmune alteration, but it’s hypothesized to be a genetic predisposition that is then triggered by something in the environment.”

The cause of lupus may not be clearly identified, but new treatments have given doctors the ability to fight the disease where it starts. Lupus symptoms, such as facial rashes, occur during a lupus flare, or when the disease has a sudden oncoming. The newest generation of drugs, called DMARDs (disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs), are used “early to address the underlying inflammation, not just treat the pain or symptoms,” says Ghaw. “These drugs fight inflammation at the cellular level, though sometimes it can take up to three months for some DMARDS to kick in.”

How can I benefit from new Lupus Treatment options?

This is the benefit to all sufferers of Lupus, whenever new treatments are discovered, there may be potential for an improved lifestyle.  If you feel that there are new and improved treatments available for your individual symptoms of Lupus, be sure to ask your medicial practitioner for access to new and improved treatment options.