A seminar on Lupus disease organised here by the Institute of Rheumatology and Immunology (IRIS) on Sunday has called for the urgent need to improve public awareness on this systemic autoimmune disease, which can often have a devastating impact on health.
The seminar, LUPUS CONNECT, brought together experts to discuss the various aspects of lupus and the importance of early diagnosis in mitigating its impact on health.
Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease characterised by multisystem involvement, leading to significant morbidity and mortality.
The seminar, conducted as part of the Lupus Day observance, featured multidisciplinary sessions on eye involvement in lupus, skin manifestations, paediatric lupus, women’s health issues, and lupus affecting kidneys.
Experts underscored the genetic, immunological, endocrine and environmental factors that contribute to the development of lupus, and the pathogenic autoantibodies that cause tissue damage. They stressed on the importance of early detection and treatment, which can give better prognosis
The symptoms of lupus include fatigue, fever, joint pain, stiffness and swelling, rashes, headaches, and hair loss. Without timely treatment, the disease can lead to multi-organ damage, including severe consequences for the brain and kidneys.
Those who led the sessions included Vishad Viswanath, Rheumatologist and Director of IRIS; Renu George, Consultant Dermatologist, Naruvi Hospital, Vellore; Jayasree Vaman, Consultant Gynaecologist, Govt. Medical College Thiruvananthapuram; Venkatesh S. Pai, Associate Professor of Medicine, AIIMS, Rishikesh; Sathish Kumar, CMC, Vellore and Sreejith Parameswaran, JIPMER, Puducherry, among others.
