JAKARTA - Increasing public understanding of lupus is a crucial step to prevent serious complications that can arise from this disease.
Exact and comprehensive education can help lupus sufferers recognize symptoms from the start, do proper treatment, and live a lifestyle that supports long-term recovery.
Internal medicine specialist at RSUP Kariadi, dr. Fenda Adita, explains that lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that can attack various organs of the body, including joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system, and heart disease. This disease is often dubbed a thousand facial disease because the symptoms are very diverse between one patient and another.
"Lupus is like an iceberg phenomenon, what you can see is only a small part. Many patients have not been diagnosed because the symptoms are vague or resemble other diseases," said dr. Fenda in an official broadcast by the Ministry of Health in Jakarta, as quoted by ANTARA.
He said that at Kariadi Hospital itself, throughout 2024 there were around 22.000 cases of lupus handled in polyclinics.
SEE ALSO:
Furthermore, dr. Fenda explained that the cause of lupus is related to several factors, including genetic, hormonal, and environmental. In women, the increase in estrogen and prolactin hormones is one of the triggers, while in men there is a decrease in the hormone androgen. In addition, exposure to chemicals such as silica and tin, unhealthy lifestyles, and viral infections also play a role.
Early detection of lupus is still a challenge because the diagnosis process requires a genetic examination whose costs are relatively high. Meanwhile, the symptoms that need to be watched out for include joint pain that appears at night or in the morning, skin rash due to sun exposure, decreased number of platelets, repeated anemia, leg swelling due to kidney disorders, to buildup of fluids in the lungs (pleura effusion).
"Patients should avoid UV exposure and regularly consume vitamin D3 for life, because it plays an important role in bone health and metabolism," explained dr. Fenda.
He also emphasized that emotional stress can trigger recurrence, so that stress management is an important part of handling lupus. The government, he continued, has provided access to essential drugs to prevent further complications.
Decades ago, the life expectancy rate of lupus sufferers was very low. Now, with better education and health care support, patients have a much better chance of living.
In commemoration of World Lupus Day, dr. Fenda hopes that educational campaigns will continue to be intensified and treatment services for lupus can be expanded to various regions so that all patients get proper treatment.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
