In Sardinia are approximately 1600 people affected by systemic lupus erythematosus, the disease hits a sick person per thousand inhabitants, against one every 2 thousand in the rest ofItaly. The island presents the higher incidence of disease of National territory. In Italy over 60 thousand people suffer from it, with 1,500-2 thousand new cases every year, of which 9 out of 10 patients are female. The Center of reference regional for the diagnosis and therapy of SLE is the Rheumatology of Duilio Casula Polyclinic, directed by professor Alberto Cauli, where they come from welcomed most of the sick in Sardiniaoffering outpatient support in day hospital and, when indicated, under the regime of recovery.
There autoimmune disease it can already appear during childhood, explains Professor Cauli, «but it prefers young women between 15 and 45 years old, the 90% of total cases diagnosed in our country. The lupus can attack skin, joints, heart, lungs, kidneys and blood cells, compromising the quality of life of those affected. The immune system it loses its ability to differentiate external agents from cells and tissues belonging to the organism, so it reacts by attacking it.” THE symptoms more general are: skin rashes, particularly on the face (the classic “butterfly rash” on the cheeks and nose), fatigue, extreme tiredness, fever, joint pain and swelling. Usually the rashes on the skin they improve after a few days or weeks, but may last longer, become permanent, be itchy or painful, and may worsen if exposed to sunlight. The Les can cause a wide range of other symptoms, says the director of Rheumatology, «including: swollen lymph glands, mouth ulcers, hair and weight loss, high blood pressure, headache, abdominal and chest pain. And also depression, dry eyes, memory loss, convulsions, shortness of breath, Raynaud’s phenomenon (limited blood flow to the hands and feet), swelling of the ankles and fluid retention, kidney involvement, white blood cell disorders, anemia and problems with the coagulation”.
«The illness can be a lot difficult to diagnose – explains the specialist – because the disorders that occur are similar to those of many other common pathologies, they can vary considerably from person to person, with periods in which they worsen and others in which they disappear. For no other reason is it nicknamed the “great mime”precisely because of the ability to involve several organs and to present themselves with a variety of clinical manifestations”.
There fertility of young women and the possibility of conception in general is not compromised although pregnancies must be planned during periods of remission or low disease activity and carefully monitored. In this sense in Aou of Cagliari a close collaboration has been formalized between the SC of Rheumatology and the SC of Gynecology to accompany patients affected by Lupus at this important moment in their lives. In recent years, concludes Professor Alberto Cauli, «the Lupus therapies have made great strides forward, with the registration by EMA and AIFA of two new specific drugs for LES, which are currently also available in the Rheumatology of the AOU of Cagliari and which have contributed, together with more general progress, to significantly improve the prognosis and the quality of life of patients suffering from the disease”.
There autoimmune disease it can appear already during childhood but prefers it young women between 15 and 45 years old, the 90% of total cases diagnosed in our country. The lupus can attack skin, joints, heart, lungs, kidneys and blood cells, compromising the quality of life of those affected. The immune system it loses its ability to differentiate external agents from cells and tissues belonging to the organism, so it reacts by attacking it.
