Educação pode mudar sua vida

Many people have heard of lupus, but nobody truly understands it. A chronic inflammatory disease, it causes the immune system to attack the heart, kidneys and other organs. And a recent study by the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found thatover a 20–year period, the death rate rose 33 percent.
Anyone can contract the illness, though it’s most com-mon among those between 15 and 44. Women are agreater risk than men, and black women have the hig-hest risk of all.
Researchers don’t know why, nor do they know what causes it in the first place. And there’s another pro-blem: people often go for years without knowing theyhave it. That’s because it’s a complex diagnosis andthere isn’t one test that’s always conclusive. Earlysymptoms are similar to the flu: fatigue, weakness andsporadic joint pain. But with lupus, patients often alsoget a rash that spreads across the nose and cheeks.If you think you might have lupus, talk to your doctor.Early treatment is important, and promising new drugs are expected within five years. –