Lupus

Getting Off Prednisone the Right Way

October 21, 2024 · Leave a Comment

Prednisone can be a lifesaver, but it’s also a bit of a necessary evil. Let’s talk about how to taper off this medication without wreaking havoc on your body.

What is Prednisone and Why Do We Use It?

Prednisone is a synthetic version of cortisol, a hormone made by our adrenal glands that’s vital for every system in our body, including regulating inflammation. In rheumatology, prednisone is a go-to because it’s about 3-5 times stronger than our natural cortisol. It’s used to quickly bring down inflammation in various autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, myositis, vasculitis, and PMR. If you’ve ever flared up, chances are you’ve been prescribed prednisone to get things under control fast.

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Autoimmune Health and Your Diet

October 15, 2024 · Leave a Comment

Managing an autoimmune condition can be challenging, and one of the most common questions asked is, “What should I be eating?” It’s a great question, and one that shows you’re ready to take charge of your health. Let’s dive into how your diet can make a big difference when you’re living with an autoimmune disease.

The Role of Diet in Autoimmune Disease

When you’re dealing with an autoimmune disease, your immune system is on overdrive, causing inflammation throughout your body. Inflammation is a natural body response but becomes overdramatic and inappropriate in autoimmune disease, leading to a range of uncomfortable symptoms. That’s where diet comes in.

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Discoid Lupus Explained

December 30, 2021 ·

Discoid lupus must be just like “regular” lupus, right? I mean, lupus is lupus, no? You’d think so, but like most things within Rheumatology, it rarely makes that much sense. When one speaks of “lupus” they are usually talking about SLE or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. SLE is a systemic (affects the entire body), autoimmune condition. Discoid Lupus, or DLE, is a condition solely of the skin. One can certainly have “discoid lesions” when they have SLE and we are always on alert for the development of SLE, but rest assured, they are two different entities.

The name “discoid” stems from the description of the typical rash seen with DLE: a disc shaped, red patch with a scale and with scaring. It is common to worry about “progression to SLE.” Thankfully, development of SLE is the exception, rather than the rule. Although dermatologists are often the main caregivers of DLE, a full evaluation by a rheumatologist can provide insight and peace of mind.

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Pregnancy & Lupus

December 27, 2021 ·

I’ve sat down with hundreds of young women as they find out they have lupus. Once a diagnosis is made, the conversations are largely one-sided. Explaining what lupus is, how we diagnosis it, and what we are going to do about it can take a while. I’ve seen every possible emotion you can think of wash over the faces of women as they absorb this news: relief at an answer, sadness at what it means, anger at why them, and then fear for their future. The fear, for many, circles around concerns over the possibility of a pregnancy with lupus.

Lupus can affect anyone, but young women are the most commonly affected. Women in their teens, twenties and thirties, or what we call in medicine, the child-bearing years. Discussing issues related to pregnancy is a necessary component to a well-rounded lupus treatment strategy.

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Know the facts about your dsDNA antibody

June 15, 2021 ·

Most lupus patients are familiar with the dsDNA antibody blood test. Like the ANA result, it is a blood test most closely related to lupus. Occasionally a positive dsDNA result can be seen in other conditions. But, the presence of a dsDNA antibody is considered specific for a diagnosis of lupus. As there are multiple ways a lab may detect a dsDNA, there still remains the possibility of a false positive, but a positive dsDNA result warrants a trip to the rheumatologist. (Reminder = “false positive” simply means the test is positive, yet the patient doesn’t have the condition associated with that result) Patients often are referred to a rheumatologist with a notebook full of labs, mostly of all varieties of antibodies and it is overwhelming.

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