A national study has shown that lupus erythematosus 10-year overall survival rate is 93.7%

On 11 December, actress Zhou Hai Mei passed away due to illness. There is no definite news on whether her death is related to lupus erythematosus (Lupus), but the rumor that Zhou Hai Mei had suffered from Lupus for many years has aroused a great deal of public concern about the autoimmune disease "Lupus".

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Under what circumstances can Lupus lead to death??

On 13 December, Huang Zhengping, M.D., attending physician of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the Second People's Hospital of Guangdong Province, introduced that the prognosis of lupus erythematosus varies greatly depending on the severity of the patient's condition and the organs involved and that the majority of patients can control their symptoms through effective medical management and have a normal life expectancy, work, live, get married, and have children. Only in a very small number of cases can serious complications occur that can lead to death.

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SLE symptoms are varied

Huang Zhengping explains that Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE, lupus erythematosus) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the immune system attacking tissues and organs within the body, leading to inflammation and damage. It is a multi-system, multi-organ disease that can affect multiple organs including the skin, joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, and nervous system.

????The symptoms and clinical manifestations of SLE are diverse and include, but are not limited to:

1)?Skin symptoms: erythema, rash, photosensitivity, and ulcers.

2)?Joint symptoms: joint pain and swelling.

3) Kidney lesions: may cause lupus nephritis, leading to proteinuria, haematuria, and other renal function abnormalities.

4) Cardiovascular symptoms: cardiomyopathy, pericarditis, etc.

5)?Immune system symptoms: positive antinuclear antibody, positive antiphospholipid antibody, etc.

6) Haematological system symptoms: anaemia, thrombocytopenia, etc.

7) Nervous system symptoms: headache, mental symptoms, etc.

Affecting multiple organ systems Death in severe cases

Does lupus erythematosus cause death? What are the causes? According to Huang Zhengping, lupus erythematosus (SLE) can affect multiple organ systems, and in severe cases, it can lead to death.

The following are some of the SLE-related causes that may lead to death:

1)?Kidney damage (lupus nephritis): SLE often triggers inflammation of the kidneys, which may lead to severe kidney insufficiency. If kidney function is unable to maintain physiological needs, it may eventually lead to death.

2) Cardiovascular problems: SLE can trigger cardiovascular problems such as pericarditis, heart valve lesions, and atherosclerosis. These problems may lead to impaired heart function, increased risk of cardiac events, and ultimately death.

3) Infections: The immune system is usually highly active in patients with SLE, which may lead to immune system dysregulation and increase the risk of infections. Some serious infections, especially during treatments where the immune system is suppressed, may pose a life-threatening risk to the patient.

4) Central Nervous System Problems: In some cases, SLE may lead to lesions in the central nervous system, including encephalitis, meningitis, etc., which in turn affects normal neurological functioning and may sometimes lead to death.

5) Bleeding and blood problems: SLE may lead to thrombocytopenia and clotting problems, increasing the patient's risk of bleeding, especially in severe cases, which can be life-threatening.

6) Respiratory problems: SLE can trigger inflammation and fibrosis in the lungs, affecting respiratory function. In some cases, this can lead to respiratory failure, which can be life-threatening.

7)?Malignant tumours: SLE patients have a relatively elevated risk of developing tumours, especially about certain drug treatments. Certain malignant tumours, if they develop at an advanced stage, may lead to the death of the patient.

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Some national studies have shown that the 10-year overall survival rate of lupus erythematosus is 93.7%

Is lupus erythematosus likely to cause death? According to Huang Zhengping, the prognosis of Lupus erythematosus varies greatly depending on the severity of the patient's condition and the organs involved. Most patients can control their symptoms with effective medical management and have a normal life expectancy, working, living, and marrying with children, while only a very small number of cases may develop serious complications leading to death.

A foreign study reported that the mortality rate of SLE from 2012 to 2020 was 18.6 (95% CI, 17.0-20.2) per 1,000 patient-years; the standardised death rate of SLE is 2.6 times higher than that of the general population; cardiovascular disease and cancer are the main causes of death in SLE patients.

A study in China reported that the 1-, 5- and 10-year overall survival rates for SLE were 98.2%, 95.3%, and 93.7%, respectively. Currently, China has achieved the goal that the 10-year survival rate of SLE patients is comparable to the level of developed countries.

Huang Zhengping said that he had treated no less than 1,000 cases of lupus erythematosus in more than 10 years of clinical work, and had met three patients who died. One died at home because of cardiovascular disease, according to his family; one died of lupus lung haemorrhage after stopping medication for 2 months after treatment; and one was a 23-year-old male who was not diagnosed with lupus until the disease was severe, and died of multi-system damage after poor treatment.

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He emphasized the importance of self-management of lupus patients. Lupus patients need to understand the disease, have regular medical monitoring, take their medication on time, rest and organise their activities in a way that avoids overexertion maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, avoid overexposure to ultraviolet rays, cope with and manage stress effectively, take regular exercise and communicate with their healthcare team, and join a support group if necessary.