Exercise and Lupus

The latest Lupus Foundation Newsletter from www.lupus.org has a Q&A with Dr. Hazel Breland regarding exercise and Lupus.

What is Lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease characterized by, among other things, fatigue and joint pain.  It is a disease that alters a person's lifestyle.  Lupus patients are very aware of the limitations the disease creates and therefore are doubly motivated to do things even when they don't feel well.  There are good days and bad, and some patients don't know how they will feel on any given day until they wake up in the morning.  They also don't want to do anything that may cause the disease to "flare."

The consensus regarding exercise is that, with the approval of the patient's physician, a program that involves low impact motions, such as yoga, Tai Chi, water aerobics, a stationary bike, or walking, are best.  Staying hydrated during exercise is also important.  Exercises that promote staying limber and maintaining range of motion are recommended.

Patients are encouraged to stay active and at the same time pay attention to their tolerance levels to get the most benefit without overdoing it.

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Lupus and Joint Pain

More that 90% of people with lupus experience joint and/or muscle pain at some time during the course of their illness.  More than half of the people who develop lupus mention pain in their joints as their first symptom.

Symptoms of Lupus 

Inflammation  is the most common reason for muscle pain and aches.  When major inflammation exists (i.e. lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease), the aches, pains and weakness are signs of your body's inability to cope with whatever process has overwhelmed it, especially during periods of increased disease activity (flare).  Lupus arthritis causes pain, stiffness, tenderness and warmth in your joints.  The joints most often affected are the ones farthest from the middle of the body, such as fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles and toes.  General stiffness upon waking in the morning, which gradually improves as the day goes on, is a key feature.  Sometimes joint pain may develop later in the day, and involve several joints, with similar joints on both sides of the body.  Compared to rheumatoid arthritis, lupus arthritis is less disabling and less likely to cause destruction of the joints.  Fewer than 10% of people with lupus arthritis will develop deformities of their hands and feet associated with weakening of cartilage and bone.  


Source:  Lupus Foundation of America    


Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

The Lupus Implications of Staph Infections

Chronic exposure to even small amounts of staph bacteria could be a risk factor for the chronic inflammatory disease lupus, Mayo Clinic research shows.  Staph, short for Staphyloccus aureus, is a germ commonly found on the skin or in the nose, sometimes causing infections.  In the Mayo study, mice were exposed to low doses of a protein found in staph and developed a lupus-like disease, with kidney disease and autoantibodies like those found in the blood of lupus patients.  The findings are published online this month in the Journal of Immunology.

Research on Lupus  

The next step is to study lupus patients to see if the staph protein in question plays a similar role in humans. "We think this protein could be an important clue to what may cause or exacerbate lupus in certain genetically predisposed patients," Dr. Vaidehi Chowdhary, co-author, says.  "Our hope is to confirm these findings in lupus patients and hopefully prevent flares."  In the mice studied, a staph protein activated white blood cells, leading to an inflammatory illness mirroring lupus.

Research on people has shown that carrying staph bacteria is linked to autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, Kawasaki disease and granulomatosis with polyangilitis.  Since the cause of lupus is still unknown, the discovery of the staph protein's role is exciting, Dr. Chowdhary says.

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Take Control of Lupus with Exercise

Exercise can help lupus patients

Lupus, a connective tissue disorder, is a chronic illness.  It is something that you can't control, is extremely frustrating.  It can make you feel like your life is over.  Exercise can give lupus patients the chance to work out some of those frustrations, and give you the feeling that you have some control over your body instead of it controlling you.
  

The benefit of exercise

Exercise doesn't just improve your overall fitness, it can also help relieve many of the symptoms of lupus, by fighting fatigue, relieving stiff and painful joints and releasing chemicals that improve your mood.  Consult with your physician regarding an exercise program that can be integrated into your daily life.  It will usually involve aerobic conditioning at a moderate intensity and will be balanced with appropriate rest.  Because getting moving replenishes your energy supplies, it directly combats fatigue.  Even a daily short period of time can make you feel better.  Moving your joints facilitates their natural lubrication.  Exercise also strengthens the muscles around joints to take pressure off joints.  Flexible, strong muscles help protect joints.  

Exercise is good for your heart

Since exercise is good for your heart and fights obesity, it lowers the levels of inflammatory proteins.  Since lupus is an inflammatory disease, exercise eases inflammation.  When you're in pain all the time, you feel miserable.  Tied into the fatigue are stress, anxiety, depression and poor sleep.  Exercise lifts your mood by triggering the release of endorphins, the feel-good chemicals of the brain, that stimulate feelings of greater comfort, pleasure and confidence.  If you have lupus, just think about what better muscle tone, more joint stability, increased mobility and less fatigue could mean in your life.  

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Men Can Have Lupus

Even though 90% of cases of lupus are diagnosed in women of child bearing age, the other 10% of cases are in men, with much the same symptoms and treatment.  The Lupus Foundation of America has a Patient Education Series, with information on understanding the disease, living with the disease, coping with the disease, how it affects the body and managing lupus in relation to family life and the workplace.  It also has information on the emotional impact of chronic disease.

Source: www.lupus.org


Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Understanding Lupus

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood and kidneys.  It is of special interest to me because my wife has the disease, and so do many of my patients.  Here are some facts to help understand the disease:

• it is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and tissue damage
• it is chronic and last a lifetime
• it is not contagious--it can't be caught or given away
• it is not like or related to cancer
• it is not like or related to HIV or AIDS
• it can cause a mild skin rash or achy joints, or can effect internal organs
• it is unpredictable, as symptoms can appear, disappear or change
• it can be mild or life-threatening and requires treatment by a physician
• with appropriate medical care, most people with non-organ threatening lupus lead a full life

Source: Lupus Foundation of America

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Lupus and Progressive Organ Damage

Organ damage can accrue over time in people with lupus and is influenced by lupus disease activity, co-morbid conditions, and/or lupus treatments.  In Arthritis Care and Research, 64:132-7, 2012, a study of 298 people newly diagnosed with lupus from 27 centers in 11 countries, assessed organ damage as related to steroids and studied antibody levels in the various patient populations.  The results suggest that organ damage in people with lupus may accumulate even over a time period during which lupus disease activity is well-controlled.  It may be that, upon a new diagnosis of lupus, treatment regimens successfully keep disease activity low but steroid treatments, in particular, may promote other non-lupus complications over time.  The results also highlight that lupus patients from minority groups (particularly Asians and Hispanics) may experience greater disease activity, both upon lupus diagnosis and for five years afterward.   There are sophisticated blood antibody tests that show the propensity for organ damage in lupus patients.

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309