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Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)

Does Stress Affect Lupus?

Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Medical Editor: Leslie J. Schoenfield, MD, PhD

Learn about how stress affects lupus.Let's start by discussing what is meant by stress. Stress means different things to different people based on their backgrounds and their current emotional and physical condition. For some people, milk spilling on the table causes a major emotional reaction. To others, a tank rolling through the living room might be viewed as just another life experience!

For the purpose of this topic, I will define stress as human reactions to forces that tend to disturb our normal functional (physiologic) balance (equilibrium). Stress, in this general sense, refers to any adverse condition or state that affects our normal well-being. Such stress can be imposed on us by, for example, work, a spouse, other people, ourselves, or by setting our daily schedule too rigorously.

Read about stress' indirect effects on lupus disease »

Lupus Overview

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, is an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system attacks various organs or cells of the body, causing damage and dysfunction. Lupus is called a multisystem disease because it can affect many different tissues and organs in the body. Some patients with lupus have very mild disease, which can be treated with simple medications, whereas others can have serious, life-threatening complications. Lupus is more common in women than men, and for reasons that are not precisely understood, its peak incidence is after puberty.

While lupus is a chronic illness, it is characterized by periods when the disease activity is minimal or absent (remission) and when it is active (relapse or flare). The outlook for patients with lupus today is much better than years ago because of greater awareness and more accurate tests leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment as well as more effective and safer medications.



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Lupus - Symptoms at Onset of Disease

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

The symptoms of lupus can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your symptoms at the onset of your disease?

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Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)

Hair Loss »

Hair Loss Overview

More than half of men and women in the United States experience hair loss. About 30% of people have hair loss by age 30 years, and about 50% have hair loss by age 50 years. Hair loss is so common that most of the time it is considered a normal variation and not a disease. Other animals closely related to humans, such as the chimpanzee, also lose their hair.

  • Forms of hair loss

    • Androgenic alopecia - The most common type of hair loss, also called male pattern baldness

    • Traumatic alopecia - Hair loss from hair being torn out

    • Drug-induced alopecia - Hair loss caused by one of many medications

    • Alopecia areata - Patchy, usually reversible, hair loss

  • Hair loss varies widely with race.

    • Japanese men develop baldness less commonly than whites do. On average they also develop balding abou...






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Systemic Lupus Erythematosus »

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, multifaceted inflammatory disease that can affect every organ system of the body.

Read More on eMedicine »

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