Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of the body. While systemic lupus is both the most common and the most serious type of lupus, there are in fact four kinds, these include:
- Systemic lupus
- Cutaneous lupus
- Drug-induced lupus
- Neonatal lupus
See also: What is Lupus? Symptoms and Causes
The four types of lupus
As an autoimmune disorder, lupus occurs when the immune system, which usually helps to protect against infections, attacks healthy tissues in the body instead. There are four forms of lupus, here’s what you should know about each.
See also: What is C-Reactive Protein (CRP)?
Systemic lupus
As one of the most common types of lupus, systemic lupus can be mild or severe and can affect a number of different parts of the body. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Hair loss
- Sun sensitivity
- Unexplained fever
See also: What Does High CRP Mean?
Cutaneous lupus
Cutaneous lupus is a skin condition - it’s possible for it to affect people with or without systemic lupus [1]. Some common signs and symptoms include:
- Rashes
- Hair loss
- Sun sensitivity
- Ulcers
Drug-induced lupus
Drug-induced lupus is essentially what its name suggests - a form of lupus caused by certain drugs and medications.
Drug-induced lupus rarely affects any major organs and it can be cleared when the medication is stopped [2]. Symptoms are quite similar to systemic lupus and include:
- Joint pain
- Muscle pain
- Fever
See also: Anti-Inflammatory Foods: Foods to Help Inflammation
Neonatal lupus
Neonatal lupus is a rare form of lupus that occurs in children at birth - it’s caused by antibodies from the mother that can affect the fetus. Although these antibodies are usually found in mothers with lupus, it doesn’t technically mean that a mother with lupus will pass it on to their child [3].
While symptoms typically go away after a few months with no permanent effects, the common symptoms of neonatal lupus include:
- Skin rash
- Liver problems
- Low blood cell counts
If you’re at risk of a chronic inflammatory disease such as lupus, it’s important to know more about your CRP levels as CRP is known to increase when inflammation is present in the body. It’s important to remember that CRP elevations are non-specific but can help in identifying an underlying inflammatory disease.
LetsGetChecked’s at-home CRP Test can identify inflammation in the body and can help in indicating your risk of degenerative disorders. Online results will be available within 2-5 days and our medical team will be available to answer any questions you may throughout the process.
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