Glossary for Lupus

• Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis: A rare neurological disorder where an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord occurs due to damage to the protective covering (myelin sheath) around the nerves.
• Acute blindness: An acute loss of vision
• Acute rheumatic fever: Bacterial joint infection with risk of heart complications.
• Alopecia: Various types of hair loss or balding
• Anemia: Reduced ability of blood to carry oxygen from various possible causes.
• Arthritis: General name for any type of joint inflammation, but often means age-related osteoarthritis.
• Atherosclerosis: Atherosclerosis is a syndrome affecting arterial blood vessels. It is a chronic inflammatory response in the walls of arteries, in large part due to the accumulation of macrophage white blood cells and promoted by low density (especially small particle) lipoproteins (plasma proteins that carry cholesterol and triglycerides) without adequate removal of fats and cholesterol from the macrophages by functional high density lipoproteins (HDL). It is commonly referred to as a hardening or furring of the arteries. It is caused by the formation of multiple plaques within the arteries.
• Autoimmune diseases: A group of disorders in which the primary cause is the an inflammatory reaction caused by the body's own immune system attacking tissues
• Blood clots: Multiple coagulums that are located in the blood stream due to the aggregation of blood factors
• Brain Stem Glioma: Tumor of the brain stem consisting of neuroglia of many stages of development.
• Brain symptoms: Symptoms affecting the brain
• Buerger's disease: Buergers's disease is a recurring inflammation and thrombosis (clotting) of small and medium arteries and veins of the hands and feet
• Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus: A blistering disease that can develop in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The process is mediated by autoantibodies.
• Cachexia: physical wasting with loss of weight and muscle mass caused by disease
• Canker sores: Ulcers of the mouth or nearby areas
• Cerebrovascular accident: Occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted and results in cell injury and death.
• Chills: Excessive feeling of coldness.
• Chorea: Any disorder causing involuntary movement or spasms.
• Choreoathetosis: Choreoathetosis is the occurrence of involuntary movements in a combination of chorea and athetosis.
• Chronic Discoid lupus: Discoid lupus Erythematosus, being a chronic condition, is common among all age groups. Discoid lupus erythematosus is a chronic skin condition characterized by inflammation and scarring type skin lesions which occur on the face, ears, scalp and at times on other body areas.
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Severe chronic fatigue disorder often following infection.
• Chronic constrictive pericarditis:
• Chronic liver disease: Any form of chronic liver disease
• Complement component 2 deficiency: A rare disorder where a deficiency of a compound called complement component 2 impairs the bodies ability to fight infection and autoimmune disorders.
• Connective tissue disorders: Any condition affecting connective tissues.
• Dandruff: White flaking and dryness of the scalp.
• Depression: Various syndromes with excessive anxiety, phobias, or fear.
• Dermatomyositis: A muscle disease characterized by chronic muscle inflammation resulting in progressive muscle weakness and a characteristic rash.
• Devic disease: A rare nerve disorder involving demyelination of spinal cord and eye nerves.
• Diabetes-like symptoms: Symptoms similar to those of diabetes
• Diplopia: Double vision
• Discoid Lupus: Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a form of lupus erythematosus marked by chronic skin eruptions. It is a chronic skin condition of sores with inflammation and scarring favoring the face, ears, and scalp and at times on other body areas.
• Discoid lupus erythematosus: Form of lupus affecting the skin.
• Diseases contagious contagious mother-to-fetus: Diseases contagious from mother to a fetus during pregnancy
• Dry Eye: Dry eyes or gritty eye feeling.
• Endocarditis: Inflammation of the inner lining of the heart
• Eosinophilia: This is when there is an abnormal increase in the eosinophils in the blood
• Episcleritis: Localised, self limiting inflammation of the episclera (connective tissue overlying the sclera).
• Erysipelas: A severe streptococcal bacterial infection where infection spreads from the skin to tissue underneath. The face and extremities are the usual sites affected.
• Extreme fatigue: A condition characterized by extreme tiredness
• FUO: Fevers that occur for no apparent reason. The fever involves temperatures of greater than 38.3 degrees Celsius which occurs sporadically for more than three weeks. Infection and cancers are the most common causes of this type of fever.
• Female infertility: Infertility that affects the female
• Fibromyalgia: A difficult to diagnose condition affecting the muscles and/or joints
• Genital herpes: Sexually transmitted infection of the genital region.
• Gestational diabetes: Diabetes that occurs in pregnant women, usually resolving after birth.
• Glomerulonephritis: Kidney disease where the kidney's have problems removing waste material and excessive fluid.
• Goodpasture syndrome: A rare disease involving inflammation of membranes in the lung and kidneys.
• Hair loss: Loss or thinning of head or body hair
• Headache: In medicine a headache or cephalalgia is a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and sometimes neck. Some of the causes are benign while others are medical emergencies. It ranks among the most common pain complaints
• Heart failure: Slow failure of the heart (cardiac insufficiency).
• Hemolytic anemia: Hemolytic anemia is a term used to describe the premature desctruction of red blood cells. Red blood cells are normally broken down every 3-4 months and replaced but in haemolytic anemia the red blood cells are broken down at a faster rate than they can be replenished. The causes are numerous and the severity ranges considerably. Severe cases can lead to death.
• Hepatocellular jaundice: A condition which is characterized by jaundice due to injury or damage to the hepatocellular cells of the liver
• Human parvovirus B19 infection: An infectious disease caused by parovirus B19 which causes fifth disease and erythema infectiosum.
• Hypertension: High blood pressure
• Infection: Infections as a symptom.
• Infective endocarditis: The infection and inflammation of the inner heart layers, especially the valves. The infection is usually bacterial. The condition carries a high risk of death.
• Intracranial Hemorrhages: Bleeding inside the skull. The condition is a medical emergency and the greater the bleeding, the more severe the condition.
• Joint pain: Pain affecting the joints
• Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: Chronic arthritis affecting children and teens
• Kidney stones: Stone-like calcium deposits in the kidney.
• Kidney symptoms: Symptoms affecting one or both kidneys.
• Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome: A condition where a patient with a carcinoma suffers from progressive muscular weakness.
• Leprosy: A chronic, progressive infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae which causes skin sores and also affects the eyes, mucous membranes and peripheral nerves.
• Leukopenia: decreased concentration of white blood cells in the blood.
• Leukoplakia: A mouth disorder where white patches form on the inside of the mouth and on the tongue. Mostly occurs in older people.
• Lichen planus: Skin rash
• Lupus erythematosus tumidus: Lupus erythematosus tumidus (LET) is a rare form of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus that characteristically presents as a succulent, erythematous plaques on sun-exposed areas.
• Lupus nephritis: Kidney damage caused by lupus.
• Lyme disease: Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia.
• Malaise: General feelings of discomfort or being ill-at-ease.
• Mania: Inappropriate euphoric mood
• Meningoencephalitis: A condition which is characterized by inflammation of the brain and meninges
• Mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis: A rare kidney disorder characterized by blood in the urine caused by a particular type of inflammation inside the kidneys. Immune system abnormalities result in abnormal immune deposits in the mesangial cells (part of the capillaries inside the kidneys) of the kidneys. The mesangial cells become bigger and their numbers increase as a result.
• Miscarriage: Loss of fetus without human interference
• Mixed connective tissue disease: A rare disorder of the connective tissue which affects a range of body tissues and organs.
• Mononeuritis multiplex: A rare neurological condition where nerve damage occurs at more than one site. Nerve damage can result from conditions such as diabetes mellitus, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and blood vessel diseases.
• Multiple Sclerosis: Autoimmune attack on spinal nerves causing diverse and varying neural problems.
• Myalgia: Muscle aches and pains
• Myasthenia Gravis: An autoimmune disorder which interferes with nerve impulses to muscles and hence results in weak, easily fatigued muscles.
• Myocarditis: Inflammation of the myocardium (muscle walls of the heart)
• Myositis: One of the underlying causes for muscle weakness/myopathy.
• Neonatal lupus: Neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) is a rare disorder caused by the transplacental passage of maternal autoantibodies. The most common clinical manifestations are cardiac, dermatologic, and hepatic. Some infants may also have hematologic abnormalities.
• Neuromyelitis Optica: A demyelinating disorder associated with transverse myelopathy and optic neuritis
• Ophthalmoplegia: A disorder that is characterised by the paralysis of the eye muscles
• Optic neuritis: Optic nerve inflammation
• Oral Ulcer: An open sore inside the mouth.
• Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition characterised by mechanical disrturbances due to degradation of joints. It is the most common form of arthritis, and the leading cause of chronic disability.
• Paralysis: The loss of motor function due to dysfunction of the spinal cord
• Paranoia: Delusion that people or events conspire against you.
• Pericarditis: Inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart
• Peripheral neuropathy: Peripheral neuropathy is the term for damage to nerves of the peripheral nervous system, which may be caused either by diseases of the nerve or from the side-effects of systemic illness.
• Pleural effusion: Fluid in the pleural spaces.
• Pleurisy: Inflammation of the pleural membrane
• Polyarteritis nodosa: A serious blood vessel disease where small and medium-sized arteries become swollen and damaged and are unable to adequately supply oxygenated blood to various tissues in the body. The disease can occur in a mild form or a serious, rapidly fatal form.
• Polyendocrine deficiency syndrome: Various rare syndromes causing multiple gland-attacking autoimmune diseases.
• Pregnancy symptoms: Symptoms related to pregnancy.
• Premature Birth: Early delivery of a fetus (before 37th week).
• Primary Immune Deficiency: Various types of immune deficiencies; usually genetic.
• Properdin deficiency, X-linked: A rare condition where an inherited deficiency of properdin (a blood plasma component) affects immunity. In particular, susceptibility to Neisseria infections is increased.
• Psychological problems: Symptoms affecting emotional or psychological factors.
• Pulmonary fibrosis: A scarring condition that affects the lungs
• Pulmonary hypertension: Pulmonary hypertension refers to high blood pressure in the blood vessels that carry blood to the lungs. Blood pressure in other parts of the body is normal or sometimes even low. The condition may be caused by such things as lung conditions (e.g. emphysema, chronic bronchitis), heart conditions (e.g. congestive heart failure, birth defects involving heart), AIDS or medications such as fenfluramine (a diet drug). Sometimes it occurs for no apparent reason and is called primary pulmonary hypertension.
• Pure red cell aplasia: A rare blood cell disorder where there is a sudden decrease in the number of red blood cells (erythrocytes) produced by the bone marrow.
• Pyoderma Gangrenosum: A rare inflammatory skin disorder characterized by small red bumps or blisters which eventually become ulcerated.
• Raynaud's phenomenon: Blood vessel constriction attacks affecting fingers and/or toes.
• Reiter’s syndrome: A form of reactive arthritis characterized by arthritis, urethritis, conjunctivitis and skin lesions.
• Rheumatic conditions: Any condition that affects ones joints
• Rheumatoid arthritis: Autoimmune form of arthritis usually in teens or young adults.
• Rosacea: Inflammatory rash affecting cheeks, nose, forehead, chin
• Schilder's Disease: Rare nerve myelin condition.
• Schizophrenia: Psychiatric disorder with delusional beliefs and hallucinations.
• Scleroderma: A rare, progressive connective tissue disorder involving thickening and hardening of the skin and connective tissue. There are a number of forms of scleroderma with some forms being systemic (involving internal organs).
• Seizures - intellectual deficit due to hydroxylysinuria: A rare syndrome characterized by mental retardation, seizures and high levels of hydroxylysine in the urine.
• Stevens-Johnson Syndrome: A rare but serious condition involving inflammation and blistering of the skin and mucous membranes. It is believed to be an allergic reaction that can occur in response to some drugs or infectious diseases.
• Stroke: Serious brain event from bleeding or blood clots.
• Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus: Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) is a nonscarring non-atrophy-producing photosensitive dermatosis
• Subcutaneous lupus erythematosus psoariasiform type: Subacute cutaneous lupus erithematosus (SCLE) is a nonscarring, non atrophy-producing photosensitive cutaneous disorder. The sites most commonly affected are the upper back, chest, neck and arms, but lesions may appear anywhere on the body
• Subdural hematoma: Type of bleeding in the brain
• Sutton disease 2: A rare condition characterized by recurring periods of painful inflamed mouth ulcers.
• Systemic disorders: Any condition that occurs in a system of the body
• Telangiectasia: The permanent dilation of pre-existing small blood vessels
• Temporal arteritis: Inflamed head artery causing headache.
• Thrombocytopenia: Decreased platelets in the blood
• Thrombocytopenic purpura, autoimmune: A rare blood disorder where a low number of platelets impairs the bloods ability to clot and results in bleeding into the skin and mucous membranes.
• Thyroid disorders: Any disorder of the thyroid gland.
• Tingling: Tingling, prickling, or pins-and-needles sensations
• Transverse myelitis: Inflammation of the spinal cord which results in various neurological and muscle symptoms. The inflammation can occur for no obvious reason or may result from a virus, bacterial infection, autoimmune disease or vaccination. The type and severity of symptoms is determined by the location and degree of inflammation.
• Vague symptoms: Vague, unclear, mild or non-specific symptoms
• Vasculitis: Inflammation of a blood or lymph vessel
• Viral meningitis: Viral meningitis refers to meningitis caused by a viral infection
• Wegener's granulomatosis: A rare disease involving blood vessel inflammation which can affect the blood flow to various tissues and organs and hence cause damage. The respiratory system and the kidneys are the main systems affected.

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