Home > Archive > Lupus Support > August 2006 > Cause of Lupus..."No One Knows for Sure?"





You are viewing an archived Text-only version of the thread. To view this thread in it's original format and/or if you want to reply to this thread please [click here]

Author Cause of Lupus..."No One Knows for Sure?"
BOB1365@gmail.com

2006-08-25, 8:27 am

Gee. This doesn't sound like an acceptable answer. If you ask a
cardiologist what causes a myocardial infarction, they tell you a
bloodclot of some sort in the heart arteries. Ditto for any other
number of medical conditions.

So why doesn't medical science know what causes lupus?

In my case, discoid, I'd like to know in addition to the above:

What causes the initial flare up?
What makes the flare up stop?
Why does the disc stay at a couple of millimeters in size? Why doesn't
it consume all the skin?
I shave and nick myself daily. Why doesn't my immune system attack
every nick?

An on and on. The point being why doesn't science have an answer to
this? It almost seems that lupus is the polar opposit of HIV, where
the immune system is the attackee not the attacker.

Andy

2006-08-25, 4:31 pm

In article <1156512119.985136.239710@74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com>,
BOB1365@gmail.com wrote
>Gee. This doesn't sound like an acceptable answer. If you ask a
>cardiologist what causes a myocardial infarction, they tell you a
>bloodclot of some sort in the heart arteries. Ditto for any other
>number of medical conditions.
>
>So why doesn't medical science know what causes lupus?
>

[
>

Try http://www.medical.lupusuk.org.uk/gp_guide/index.asp
--
Andy Taylor [Chair, N E Lupus Group]
See http://www.northeastlupus.org.uk for more!
Beverley

2006-08-25, 4:31 pm

My doc once said that there is some talk about a possible virus that might
trigger the immune system into going bonkers but nothing about a specific
virus - maybe different ones for different folks.

Yes, it seems that we are the opposite of HIV. In fact the studies that they
are doing on HIV and AIDS just may help us. I just caught wind of this the
other night and have not had time to follow up on it. But they know that the
T cells in HIV patients are there and not destroyed, which is a new
development but something turned them off.

I've often wondered if we gave someone with HIV our blood it would help
them, but every medical person I have ever asked has said no. Maybe it has
something to do with those T cells - maybe the HIV would just turn ours off
in them too.

I don't know why the immune system doesn't attack everything all the time. I
do know if I hurt a joint the lupus runs right there and does its thing on
me for a long time thereafter. And if I ever get a cold it seems 10 times
worse than anyone else's - think my system is just happy to have something
legitimate to attack. LOL

BTW, my medical knowledge would fit in the thimble for a mouse. LOL
Bev



<BOB1365@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1156512119.985136.239710@74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...
> Gee. This doesn't sound like an acceptable answer. If you ask a
> cardiologist what causes a myocardial infarction, they tell you a
> bloodclot of some sort in the heart arteries. Ditto for any other
> number of medical conditions.
>
> So why doesn't medical science know what causes lupus?
>
> In my case, discoid, I'd like to know in addition to the above:
>
> What causes the initial flare up?
> What makes the flare up stop?
> Why does the disc stay at a couple of millimeters in size? Why doesn't
> it consume all the skin?
> I shave and nick myself daily. Why doesn't my immune system attack
> every nick?
>
> An on and on. The point being why doesn't science have an answer to
> this? It almost seems that lupus is the polar opposit of HIV, where
> the immune system is the attackee not the attacker.
>



Avril

2006-08-25, 4:31 pm

I'm sure I can trace my lupus back to 1999, when I had ME. Every year after
that I got some other problem.... allergies, dry eyes, vertigo, migraines,
joint pains, leg pains, sensitivity to insect bites, feeling ill in the sun,
until this year when we finally discovered it was lupus (after testing for
neuro borelleosis as I had been living in an area where this was endemic).


avril
--
mairinger@SPAMFREEMAILgmx.de


"Beverley" <beverly.brown28@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:AeGHg.28$4O4.11@trnddc02...
> My doc once said that there is some talk about a possible virus that might
> trigger the immune system into going bonkers but nothing about a specific
> virus - maybe different ones for different folks.



Maggie

2006-08-25, 9:26 pm

Bob,

I agree, it doesn't seem like an acceptable answer & it's even worse
when you've just been diagnosed. The good news is: with people fired
up and curious, such as yourself, they could very well get an answer
soon. I hope you'll continue to be set on finding answers to
auto-immune disorders & help others in the process.

Maggie

BOB1365@gmail.com

2006-08-26, 4:27 pm

Perhaps someone on the MENSA site might have a genius insight.


Maggie wrote:
> Bob,
>
> I agree, it doesn't seem like an acceptable answer & it's even worse
> when you've just been diagnosed. The good news is: with people fired
> up and curious, such as yourself, they could very well get an answer
> soon. I hope you'll continue to be set on finding answers to
> auto-immune disorders & help others in the process.
>
> Maggie


Copyright 2003 - 2008 pahealthsystems.com