On the occasion of the international day dedicated to lupus, which is celebrated Wednesday 10 May, Anna De Matthaeis, owner of the immunorheumatology clinic of the Asst of Crema, takes stock: ’90 percent of sick people are women’. “Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) primarily affects women with a ratio of nine to one. There is certainly a gender prevalence, even if everyone can develop it. There is no single trigger, rather a number of co-factors. Certainly, the data concerning diffusion suggest that it is linked to a component hormonal or otherwise connected to the female gene”. The diagnosis shouldn’t scare: “studies for the development of increasingly targeted therapies are still underway, but giant strides have been made through research over the years”.
There is no dedicated clinic in Crema
SLE is a chronic autoimmune connective tissue disease. This means that the immune system, responsible for fighting infections, attacks our body. The pathology can affect many organs, including the skin, joints, serosa (pleura and pericardium), kidneys, central nervous system. “Not all organs mentioned may be affected, this depends on the severity of the pathology. Let’s be clear: a life with lupus doesn’t necessarily mean a life with a major disability.” There are various spectrums of manifestation. Lupus may also be associated with an antiphospholipid syndrome. In these cases, in addition to lupus, the risk of developing thrombosis. The main symptoms are of a skin nature (photosensitivity, butterfly erythema, general alopecia or areata), in addition to joint pain, sometimes associated with arthritis, tiredness, fever, haematological alterations, low white blood cells or platelets, sometimes haemolytic anemia. In Crema there is currently no clinic dedicated exclusively to this pathology, but the taking charge and management, where necessary also shared with second-level centres, is in any case guaranteed. It is accessed by means of a referral for a first rheumatological visit.