May Is Lupus Awareness Month

The Lupus Foundation of America has a new campaign for the month of May!

Know Lupus For a future with NO LUPUS, we must KNOW LUPUS. Learn more about the campaign!

Please visit their website for lots of great information by using the link above or going to www.lupus.org.
_________________________________________________________________________________

SAVE THE DATE FOR POP!!!

Mark your calendar for Friday, May 15, 2015! This is Put on Purple Day (POP).

This is the day during Lupus Awareness Month when local communities rally to bring greater attention to lupus by wearing purple and lighting local landmarks in this color, too.

Wear YOUR purple and ask everyone, “Do you know why I’m wearing purple?”

Help spread awareness about lupus, bring greater support to the community, answer more questions, and move closer to solving the cruel mystery!
_________________________________________________________________________________

FAQS from the Lupus Foundation Of America

What is lupus?

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years.

In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs (“foreign invaders,” like the flu). Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues (“auto” means “self”) and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.

Lupus is also a disease of flares (the symptoms worsen and you feel ill) and remissions (the symptoms improve and you feel better).

These are some additional facts about lupus that you should know:

• Lupus is not contagious, not even through sexual contact. You cannot “catch” lupus from someone or “give” lupus to someone.

• Lupus is not like or related to cancer. Cancer is a condition of malignant, abnormal tissues that grow rapidly and spread into surrounding tissues. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, as described above.

• Lupus is not like or related to HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). In HIV or AIDS the immune system is underactive; in lupus, the immune system is overactive.

• Lupus can range from mild to life-threatening and should always be treated by a doctor. With good medical care, most people with lupus can lead a full life.

• Our research estimates that at least 1.5 million Americans have lupus. The actual number may be higher; however, there have been no large-scale studies to show the actual number of people in the U.S. living with lupus.

• More than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported annually across the country.

• It is believed that 5 million people throughout the world have a form of lupus.

• Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age (15-44). However, men, children, and teenagers develop lupus, too.

• Most people will develop lupus between the ages of 15-44.

• Women of color are two to three times more likely to develop lupus than Caucasians.

• People of all races and ethnic groups can develop lupus.

Please visit the Lupus Foundation Of America for more FAQS and great information at www.lupus.org.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Let’s Celebrate World Lupus Day on May 10, 2015!

PROCLAMATION

The World Lupus Day Proclamation was first developed in 2004 when an international steering committee representing lupus organizations from 13 different nations met in Eaton, United Kingdom to organize the first observance of World Lupus Day. The Proclamation is a call to action for governments around the world to increase their financial support for lupus research, awareness and patient services.

Each year, the Steering Committee revises the Proclamation to reflect the emerging issues that people with lupus around the world must face every day. The Proclamation serves to give a single voice to all individuals affected by this devastating and debilitating chronic disease.

Fuente: http://www.alwaysbehealthyandhappy.org/may-is-lupus-awareness-month/

01 de Mayo de 2015