Dr Oz Lupus In Men
Dr Oz Unexpected Diseases Men Get, Breast Cancer In Men – What You Don’t Know Could Kill Him. Today Dr. David Katz talks about 2 Diseases Increasingly Crossing Gender Lines To Strike Men. One topic of discussion was Dr Oz Lupus In Men. One of two stories in Diseases Men Get.
In This segment was Ben’s story – At 25 years ago Ben was diagnosed with Lupus. Suffering with severe bouts of joint pain, weight gain, and trouble breathing. Eventually the pain got so bad he was rushed to the emergency room, on the verge of Cardiac Arrest. As a result his kidney’s shut down, which explained the weight gain and joint pain – His lungs were filled with fluid, which explained his laboured breathing. He spent 3 months in the hospital fighting the disease, but did not have to undergo dialysis.
Ben takes several medications daily, and still has flair ups where he can gain weight, and his kidneys stops working, he suffers cramps and muscle fatigue. When Ben tells people he has Lupus, the response is always the same, “Only women get lupus”. Ben said to this day he is the only man he knows that has Lupus.
Dr Oz Lupus
Lupus is an illness in which the immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues, damaging a person’s joints, skin, blood vessels and organs. The cause of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is unknown. Finding the cause is the object of major research efforts. Factors that may contribute to the cause of lupus include viruses, environmental chemicals and the person’s genetic makeup. Female hormones are believed to play a role in the development of lupus because women are affected more commonly than men. This is especially true of women during their reproductive years, a time when hormone levels are highest.
The observation that lupus may affect more than one member of the same family has raised the possibility that the tendency to develop lupus may be inherited. Having such a tendency, however, does not predict that a relative will develop lupus. About 10 percent of lupus patients have a close relative with lupus.
Common symptoms of lupus in both men and women
Some patients with mild features of the disease do not require treatment, while patients with serious involvement (such as kidney complications) may require the use of powerful medications. Medications used to treat lupus include:
Steroids or prednisone and related derivatives of cortisone. Steroid creams can be directly applied to rashes. The use of creams is usually safe and effective, especially for mild rashes. The use of steroid creams or pills in low doses can be effective for mild or moderate features of lupus. Steroids can also be used in higher doses when internal organs are threatened. Unfortunately, high doses are also most likely to produce side effects.
Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is commonly used to help keep mild lupus-related problems, such as skin and joint disease, under control.
Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) is a chemotherapy drug that has very powerful effects on reducing the activity of the immune system. It is used to treat severe forms of lupus.
Azathioprine (Imuran) is a medication originally used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs. It is commonly used to treat the more serious features of lupus.
Methotrexate (Rheumatrex) is another chemotherapy medication used to suppress the immune system. Its use is becoming increasingly popular for skin disease, arthritis, and other non-life threatening forms of disease that have not responded to medications such as hydroxychloroquine or low doses of prednisone.
