lupus erythematosus it’s a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. It generally affects women of childbearing age more frequently than men. And it should be noted that the evolution of this pathology is unpredictable. Although the most characteristic thing is that it debuts in the form of gems.
Being an autoimmune disease, the patient’s immune system is impaired and cannot perform its functions normally. Therefore, he identifies healthy body tissue as foreign agents and attacks them by mistake.
As a general rule, Most clinical cases presenting with lupus erythematosus have an unknown cause.
However, there are special cases of lupus, such as those that are neonatal (in newborns) or caused by medications. The latter subtype is also called pseudowolf and he develops an exaggerated reaction (reaction of hypersensitivity) to a drug. In this way, it usually has characteristics similar to systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE.
Signs and symptoms of drug induced lupus
Generally, taking problem drugs for more than 3 months results in the development of a cluster of symptoms.
Signs are often similar to those of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and include the following:
- General tiredness.
- Fever (which can vary in intensity).
- Visual disturbances (especially blurred vision).
- Inappetence or loss of appetite. As a general rule, it is related to losing weight over a limited period of time.
- Discomfort and presence of inflammation of the joints. It could also be a manifestation of arthritis resulting from this disease.
Other symptoms that may occur (although less frequently) include the following:
- Pleural chest pain.
- Pathologies related to the central nervous system.
- Changes of a renal nature (affecting the patient’s kidneys).
- Acne. Especially in areas most exposed to sunlight.
- Pericarditis or inflammation of the pericardium (envelope of the heart). This can lead to a number of complications in the functioning of the heart.
How is drug-induced lupus diagnosed?
On the other hand, to make the diagnosis correctly, the medical team will carry out a series of medical tests. In this way, the disease can be identified and other disorders with similar symptoms can be ruled out. We can highlight the following tests:
- Physical exam and evaluation of the patient’s medical and family history.
- Routine tests such as blood or urine tests.
- Get internal images. A chest X-ray is taken to check for inflammation in the organs in the area.
- Electrocardiogram or ECG to check the state of the heart.
- Panel of antinuclear antibodies or ANN.
- Control Panel antibodies cytoplasmic antineutrophil, or ANCA.
- Complete blood count (CBC) with differential.
To relieve symptoms, you can use:
- Antimalarial drugs.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- Corticosteroid creams or ointments.
- If the patient has kidney and heart ailments, the doctor may prescribe other chemical compounds (depending on the ailment).
Drugs that most often cause lupus erythematosus
Currently, clinical studies have been unable to determine the drugs that induce this subtype of lupus generally. For example, we can include in this category:
- Isoniazid.
- Hydralazine.
- Procainamide.
Moreover, there are other chemical compounds or drugs that cause this pathology less frequently:
- capoten.
- quinidine.
- take me off.
- Methyldopa.
- Minocycline.
- Penicillamine.
- Sulfasalazine.
- Chlorpromazine.
- Antiepileptic drugs.
- Tumor necrosis factor alpha or TNF inhibitors.
What to keep in mind about medications and lupus?
Faced with this type of lupus erythematosus, a possible preventive measure would be Avoid using the mentioned drugs. However, the medical team will recommend the best treatment options for you. treatment and explain possible side effects.
Wolf is a highly complex disease with manifestations in several organswith no apparent relationship between them. For this reason, although the most common drugs are indicated, it can happen that a patient has an outbreak of lupus medicament after taking different drugs.
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