Is lupus contagious?

Written by Zhang Lin
Rheumatology and Immunology Nephrology
Updated on September 03, 2024
00:00
00:00

Lupus erythematosus is not contagious. The occurrence of lupus erythematosus is related to genetic factors, the levels of sex hormones in the body, and certain environmental factors that the body is exposed to. It is the combined effect of these factors that lowers the body's immune tolerance, causing disorder in immune function, and thus leading to this autoimmune disease. Therefore, unlike diseases caused by various pathogens, it cannot be transmitted from person to person. When normal individuals come into contact with patients, there is no need to fear contagion or to isolate the patients. During the remission and stable phases of the disease, lupus patients can engage in regular work, study, and participate in social activities just like healthy individuals.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Lin
Rheumatology and Immunology Nephrology
1min 5sec home-news-image

Lupus erythematosus taking steroids side effects

Patients with lupus mainly use steroid treatment, but steroids have many side effects during their application, such as increased blood pressure, inducing or exacerbating infections, inducing or aggravating peptic ulcers, necrosis of the femoral head, osteoporosis and vertebral compressive fractures, delaying wound healing in injured patients, increasing blood sugar, etc. Additionally, steroids can cause nervous sensitivity, agitation, insomnia, emotional changes, and even apparent mental symptoms, inducing seizures such as epilepsy. Some patients may also have suicidal tendencies. Therefore, it is necessary to use medication rationally under the guidance of a doctor, reduce the dosage timely, and effectively prevent and treat to minimize the occurrence of side effects. Taking steroids can also lead to weight gain; hair loss is relatively less common. The occurrence of side effects varies among individuals and should be tailored to the patient's specific condition.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Lin
Rheumatology and Immunology Nephrology
27sec home-news-image

What should I do if lupus causes a cold and cough?

When patients with lupus erythematosus experience a cold and cough, we should first conduct a routine blood test to see if it is caused by an infection, and then treat the symptoms accordingly. If the patient has a cough with phlegm, we should first help the patient clear the phlegm to avoid choking. Patients with lupus erythematosus should not take medication at will. If medication is needed to treat the cold and cough, it should be used under the guidance of a doctor.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Li Ning
Rheumatology
59sec home-news-image

What does the early rash of lupus look like?

The early characteristic rash of lupus erythematosus is typically a butterfly-shaped rash on the face. Other common presentations include palm and periungual erythema, discoid rash, nodular erythema, and livedo reticularis. If the rash is not notably itchy, it generally indicates lupus erythematosus. If there is significant itching, it may suggest the possibility of an allergic factor active in the disease. After immunosuppression, itchy rashes should be monitored for possible fungal infections. The specific pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus is still unclear. If a patient exhibits the typical butterfly-shaped rash on the face, systemic lupus erythematosus should be highly suspected. Testing for antinuclear antibodies, and specifically for anti-Sm and double-stranded DNA antibodies, which represent a variety of autoantibodies, can diagnose systemic lupus erythematosus.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Lin
Rheumatology and Immunology Nephrology
1min 4sec home-news-image

Will the rash of lupus fade away?

Patients with lupus often experience recurrent, stubborn skin lesions on their hands or face, and some may even develop ulceration, atrophy, or scarring on top of the existing erythema. Most lupus patients exhibit erythema, centered around the bridge of the nose and appearing on the cheeks. The lesions are disc-like on both sides with generally clear boundaries, either flat or slightly raised, and are categorized as exudative inflammation. Depending on the severity of the inflammation, the erythema can range from light red, bright red to purple-red. In severe cases, localized edema resembling erysipelas may occur, and scaling and hyperpigmentation may appear as the inflammation subsides. Facial rashes generally resolve, and most rashes do not leave marks after resolution. If hyperpigmentation remains after the erythema has resolved, it suggests a good prognosis. However, erythema in other areas, such as acral erythema and reticular cyanosis, may last for varying durations depending on the patient's individual condition.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Lin
Rheumatology and Immunology Nephrology
40sec home-news-image

Can people with lupus eat beef?

For patients with lupus, we recommend eating less beef. This is because our dietary guidelines for lupus patients are: high protein, low fat, low salt, low sugar, and foods rich in various vitamins and calcium. Since beef is a high-phenylamine protein food, it is advised to consume less of it. Patients can eat some fish, lean meat, chicken, and duck, depending on their financial situation, to supplement the protein lost in the kidneys but should not eat too much to avoid indigestion. The diet for lupus patients should be light, and when cooking, food should not be too oily or too spicy.