Ex-Made In Chelsea star Louise Thompson has said she "could cry" after being diagnosed with lupus.
The reality TV star took to Instagram to share that she had been in "intolerable pain" with the illness, which can cause joint and muscle pain, extreme tiredness and risk of organ damage. In the video Louise explained: “So to update you guys quickly, I had a call yesterday with one of the rheumatology guys and they got more of my blood test results back and the diagnosis is that I've got drug induced lupus.
“So I'm suffering from that which is fabulous. It means that I'm really tired but I've also started to get really intolerable joint pain especially if I sit down for any amount of time if I cross my legs." She added: "I just feel like I'm constantly navigating so many different things and I could just cry like how has my life come to this, it all just feels so heavy. There's so much doom and gloom and I can't catch a breath."
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But what actually is the illness and how do you know if you have it? Here are all the key signs and symptoms of lupus.
What is lupus?
Lupus is a long-term autoimmune condition where the body makes antibodies against itself and starts to attack it. There's no cure, but symptoms can improve if treatment starts early with anti-inflammatories and steroid tablets. Some sufferers will only have mild symptoms, however there is a risk of organ damage to the heart and kidneys in severe cases which can be life-threatening.
Lupus is ten times more common in women than men and usually develops between the ages of 12 and 25.
What does a lupus flare up look like?
Lupus often flares up with symptoms becoming worse for a few weeks, then settling down. The reason why symptoms flare up or settle down is not known, however some people do not notice any difference between the two and their symptoms are constant.
Early signs of lupus
Symptoms include joint and muscle pain, extreme tiredness that will not go away no matter how much you rest and rashes, often over the nose and cheeks in the shape of a butterfly. Other symptoms may include headaches, mouth sores, high temperature, hair loss and sensitivity to the sun. Sufferers may also experience depression, lung and heart disease, as well as kidney inflammation.
A common first symptom is joint stiffness, particularly in the morning, lupus is often mistaken for other joint problems such as rheumatoid arthritis which also can cause morning joint stiffness. Other common misdiagnoses are skin or blood diseases.
Symptoms of lupus
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Joint pain, stiffness and swelling
- Butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose or rashes elsewhere on the body
- Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure
- Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during stressful periods
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Dry eyes
- Headaches, confusion and memory loss
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