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Talking To Your Doctor About Fatigue

There are several things that can reduce the impact of fatigue. Firstly, it helps if you can work out what could be causing it.

There arent any specific tests for fatigue. However, you can help your doctors diagnosis by writing down how you feel, what could be causing it and how its affecting your life. They may also be able to provide you with a self-assessment questionnaire to fill out.

Depending on your symptoms your doctor may recommend you have blood tests to check your fatigue hasnt been caused by another condition. If it has been, treating this condition may improve your fatigue.

There arent any specific drug treatments for fatigue. However, your doctor, physiotherapist, occupational therapist or rheumatology team, should be able to help you recognise the signs and learn to manage them.

What Are The Complications Of Sjgrens Syndrome

Most people who have Sjögrens syndrome live their lives without any significant problems. However, a dry mouth means that you are more likely to have dental problems, such as tooth decay and infection. Dry eyes can also place you at risk for eye infections.

If you have secondary Sjögrens syndrome, you may also have problems like joint paint caused by rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

Rarely, people with Sjögrens syndrome develop these complications:

• Abnormal liver or kidney function.
• Lymphomas .
• Lung problems that may be mistaken for pneumonia.
• Neurological problems that cause weakness or numbness.

Damage To The Cartilage At The Back Of The Kneecap

Knee pain that feels worse when you go up or down stairs could be a sign of a damaged kneecap, called chondromalacia patellae.

This should not cause any redness or heat around the knee.

The cause is not understood, but it can be linked to overuse of the knee.

You can treat this problem yourself with anti-inflammatory medicines, such as ibuprofen, an icepack and rest.

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Research And New Developments

Versus Arthritis supports a wide range of projects that aim to prevent the onset of lupus, transform its treatment and ultimately find a cure.

New therapeutic approaches that target cells and molecules believed to be part of the cause of lupus are being used to help many patients. Further research studies should allow us to find out how these and other drugs can be used to the best effect.

Were currently funding research into many aspects of lupus, for example:

• A study, being carried out at University College London, is looking into the potential link between a lack of iron in the blood and fatigue in lupus patients. This could lead to the development of new treatments to combat fatigue.
• Research is investigating how messaging molecules influence the response produced by the body to rituximab. This could lead to new treatments.
• A pilot study is investigating if a medication called belimumab can be used to prevent relapses after rituximab therapy. This could eventually provide a new treatment option for lupus patients.
• Research is looking at why vascular disease often develops in people who have lupus. This could lead to the development of new drugs that could reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in lupus patients.
• Research is helping us to understand how changes in a specific gene contribute to the risk of developing adult lupus, and which genetic factors lead to the development of lupus in children. This could help develop new treatments for children and adults.

Were Worried About Syringe Shortage Says Prof Glenda Gray

We are not going to withhold a vaccine. We would rather work with you to do it properly and we have had some people, who have had severe allergies who called us before they got the vaccine. We were able to manage that whole process much better. Dont be scared to tell us if you have had any severe allergies from vaccines.

Speaking at the same webinar, Dr Simbarashe Takuva revealed out of the 145 215 vaccinations, about 3 030 adverse events had been reported.

Takavu said some of the common adverse effects reported in the Sisonke implementation study included a small swelling, redness, induration/hardness and a rash. He said they had not seen any adverse events that were of concern.

If you experience either rash, hives, difficulty breathing or a bad reaction, contact a medical provider. For pain or fever, you may take pain medication like paracetamol or ibuprofen. Apply a cool, wet cloth over the injected area.

Individuals who are experiencing side effects or adverse effects may report via three different streams which are:

• The safety desk call centre at 0800 014 956.

• The electronic adverse report form which is available on the electronic vaccination data system .

• Data is also captured manually from forms that are found at health facilities.

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Disease Activity And Fatigue

Fatigue and arthritis go hand in hand for many people with arthritis. The main culprits are the inflammatory disease process and the accompanying chronic pain.

• Inflammation. If you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks your body and inflammation is the result. The body undergoes stress as it tries to cope with the release of inflammatory cytokines in the blood. That can cause fatigue, especially when disease activity is high or low-grade inflammation remains for a long time.
• Chronic Pain. The pain-fatigue connection can be a vicious circle. Dealing with arthritis pain for months at a time over many years can wear you down. It can affect your sleep habits, which adds to your exhaustion. Being fatigued, in turn, can worsen pain and make it more difficult to manage.

Hand Foot And Mouth Disease

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a highly contagious disease caused by coxsackievirus. Its spread by coming into contact with surfaces contaminated by feces or through contact with the saliva, respiratory secretions, or stool of a person infected with hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Young children are at the highest risk of getting this infection. Symptoms, including sore throat, usually clear up within 10 days.

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What You Need To Know About Joint Pain Chronic Fatigue Severe Ic/bps Severe Headaches Sever Panic Disorder Joint Pain Hair Loss

You should seek medical attention for any pain you experience. If the pain is caused by an infection, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. You can take over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. If your pain is more intense, you can try heating or applying ice to the joint. Alternatively, you can also try applying heat to the affected area. To relieve the pain, you should stay away from the activities that cause you to have joint pain. A doctor can prescribe you dietary supplements, such as glucosamine, that are effective in reducing your symptoms.

If you fall or are hit on the leg and notice any swelling or deformity in your knee, you should seek medical attention. If you cant put weight on your leg, it could be a sign of a more serious ailment. If you are experiencing any of these signs and symptoms, you should consult a doctor immediately. The most important thing to do is to be patient and do not panic. The pain you experience is normal and is not related to any other health problems.

How Is Lupus Likely To Affect Me

Its difficult to say how lupus will affect you, because it can vary greatly between people who have it.

Treatments have improved a lot in recent years.

However, it is still a serious condition and can even be life-threatening in some situations when peoples vital organs are affected. But most people dont have the serious complications.

If you have lupus, you will need regular check-ups with your doctors and nurses to look for any of the serious complications linked with the condition.

Because of the risk of serious complications, having a healthy diet and lifestyle, and exercising regularly is important.

If you have any new symptoms or concerns, talk to a member of your healthcare team.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Lupus

Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including your joints, skin, and organs. It depends on the kind of lupus you have. Symptoms can develop quickly or slowly. They also can come and go and be mild or severe.

Not everyone who has lupus has the same symptoms. Common symptoms of lupus may include:

• Sensitivity to the sun or light.
• Joint pain or swelling.
• Chest pain with deep breathing.
• Trouble thinking, and/or memory problems.
• Kidney problems.

Many people also have symptoms that affect their skin and hair, such as:

• Red rashes, often on the face and in the shape of a butterfly
• Mouth ulcers.

Lupus may also cause symptoms that affect the blood and blood vessels:

• Low blood count.
• Pale or blue fingers or toes from cold or stress .

Less common symptoms include:

• Weight loss or weight gain.
• Hallucinations.
• Repeated miscarriages or other infertility problems.

Children can have the same symptoms of lupus as adults. The most common symptoms in children are:

• A red, butterfly-shaped rash over the bridge of the nose and the cheeks.
• Low red blood cell count .
• Low white blood cell count .
• Severe brain or kidney problems.

It is common for lupus symptoms to come and go. Often, they may disappear for a period of time called remission. You may get new symptoms all of a sudden. When symptoms appear or get worse, its called a flare. You may have swollen joints and muscle pain one week and then no symptoms at all the next week.

Looking After Your Mental Health

Because of the pain, fatigue and disruption to life, lupus can cause anxiety and depression.

Its important to talk to someone you trust if youre feeling down or worried. This could be a friend, relative or a healthcare professional. Versus Arthritis has a helpline if youd like to speak to one of our trained advisors. Our helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm. Call free from the UK on 0800 5200 520.

Even if it doesnt affect the course of the condition, emotional stress can sometimes make lupus seem worse. Its not always easy, but there are things we can all do to help manage stresses in our life. For example you might want to try relaxation techniques such as meditation or mindfulness.

Your doctor may be able to refer you to a psychologist who can help with coping strategies.

Therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy may help. This is a talking therapy that can help you manage problems by changing the way you think and behave. Its most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental and physical health problems.

Regular exercise can improve feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.

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Role Of Inflammation In Fatigue

The mechanisms of fatigue are complex and have been studied in animal models and humans. Because fatigue could be explained by loss of muscle mass or altered mood, Norden et al. proposed a model to discriminate between these phenomena: some colon tumor-bearing mice demonstrated signs of fatigue and depressed mood , with no association with decreased normalized contractile properties of skeletal muscle of the limb. So fatigue seemed linked more to behavior than muscle activity.

Inflammation could play an important role . The injection of IL-1 in murine models decreased social exploration and increased hypersomnia and body weight loss, which were all improved by the administration of anti-inflammatory IL-1RA or IL-10 . Moreover, in the model of tumor-induced fatigue in mice seen earlier, fatigue was associated with increased levels of IL-1 and IL-6 in the brain, and treatment with minocycline, an anti-inflammatory agent, improved grip strength without reducing tumor growth or muscle mass .

Table 1 Possible mechanisms involved in fatigue

Could My Symptoms Be Covid

Feeling out of breath with activity

Nausea and vomiting

Feeling out of breath with activity

Nausea and vomiting

Out of breath with activity

Nausea and vomiting

Loss of taste or smell

Sore throat

Severe shortness of breath at rest

Dry cough

Severe muscle and joint pain

Feeling out of breath with activity

Rashes

Blisters on toes and fingers

Chills and body aches

Loss of taste or smell

Sore throat

Severe shortness of breath at rest

Tightness in chest

Feeling out of breath with activity

Palpitations, chest pain

Blisters on toes and fingers

Severe muscle and joint pain

Chills and body aches

Loss of taste or smell

Sore throat

Shortness of breath at rest

Tightness in chest

Out of breath with activity

Palpitations, chest pain

Severe muscle and joint pain

Blisters on toes and fingers

Chills and body aches

Loss of taste and smell

Sore throat

Shortness of breath at rest

Tightness in chest

Out of breath with activity

Palpitations, chest pain

Severe muscle and joint pain

Blisters on toes and fingers

Chills and body aches

Loss of taste and smell

Sore throat

Severe shortness of breath at rest

Tightness in chest

Feeling out of breath with activity

Palpitations, chest pain

Blisters on toes and fingers

Severe muscle and joint pain

Chills and body aches

Loss of taste and smell

Sore throat

Severe shortness of breath at rest

Dry cough

Severe muscle and joint pain

Feeling out of breath with activity

Rashes

Blisters on toes and fingers

Chills and body aches

Loss of taste and smell

Sore throat

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Most People With Lupus Will Get Lupus Rash

Many people with lupus will have some form of a rash, says Roberto Caricchio, MD, the chief of rheumatology at Temple University Hospital and the director of the Temple Lupus Program in Philadelphia. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, as many as two-thirds of people with lupus experience a skin rash, and estimates suggest that between 40 and 70 percent of people with lupus will notice that their symptoms get worse in the sun or some types of artificial light.

One main type of lupus, cutaneous lupus erythematosus, is limited to skin symptoms, including a rash and lesions. That means people with cutaneous lupus, which does not progress and become systemic lupus erythematosus, only experience skin symptoms. People with cutaneous lupus most commonly develop a discoid rash. It appears as round, raised, red patches and can cause scarring, Dr. Caricchio explains. Its often confined to small areas above the neck, such as the ears and scalp, he says. The rash usually does not itch or cause discomfort.

Another subtype of cutaneous lupus is subacute cutaneous lupus, and people with it will develop thick, scaly, red lesions that usually do not scar and do not itch.

It gets confusing because some people with both of these forms of cutaneous lupus will only experience skin symptoms, while for others, lupus will progress to become systemic lupus, meaning it will affect other parts of the body, too.

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Symptoms By Autoimmune Condition

There are more than 80 autoimmune conditions. There is an overlap in symptoms among many of these conditions, and distinctive symptoms can help differentiate between them.

If you have one autoimmune disease, you have a 25% chance of developing other autoimmune conditions. This can make sorting out diagnoses more difficult. It can also cause some symptoms to be compounded.

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Energy And Sleep Patterns

An afternoon energy crash, followed a boost of energy late in the evening is a very common adrenal fatigue symptom.

Chronic and long lasting fatigue .

Often tired in the evening, but resist going to bed,only to feel wide awake at

You feel exhausted in bed, but your mind won’t stop racing.

Trouble getting to sleep, waking up at around 2:00 am

Often severe insomnia

Afternoon energy crash

Sleep for long periods of time , but still have a hard time getting up in the morning

Night sweats and Chills

FemaleQuestions

Thinning eyebrows , especially outer portion of eyebrows.

Waking up with numb hands

Joint pain, stiff joints

Jaw Pain. Do have a hard time at the dentist?

Dehydration.

Lack of sweat. Do not sweat as much as you used to.

Common Autoimmune Disease Symptoms

Despite the varying types of autoimmune disease, many of them share similar symptoms. Common symptoms of autoimmune disease include:

• Abdominal pain or digestive issues
• Recurring fever
• Swollen glands

Many women say its hard to get diagnosed, something that Orbai agrees with. Its not black or white, she says. Theres usually no single test to diagnose autoimmune disease. You have to have certain symptoms combined with specific blood markers and in some cases, even a tissue biopsy. Its not just one factor.

Diagnosis can also be difficult because these symptoms can come from other common conditions. Orbai says women should seek treatment when they notice new symptoms.

If youve been healthy and suddenly you feel fatigue or joint stiffness, dont downplay that, she says. Telling your doctor helps him or her to look closer at your symptoms and run tests to either identify or rule out autoimmune disease.

Autoimmune Disease: Why Is My Immune System Attacking Itself?

Autoimmune disease affects 23.5 million Americans, and nearly 80 percent of those are women. If youâre one of the millions of women affected by this group of diseases, which includes lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid disease, you may be wondering why your immune system is attacking itself.

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Miscarriage And Preterm Labor

Women with lupus have a higher risk of miscarriage and preterm labor, says Kaplan. Pregnant women with lupus also have a higher risk of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure, and signs that the kidneys and liver may not be functioning well. If you have lupus and do get pregnant , see a high-risk maternal-fetal medicine specialist who has expertise in how to best handle such pregnancies.

Eat Breakfast Every Day

Your mother likely harped on this when you were a small child. Guess whatMom was right. When you first wake up, your blood sugar is low. Eating a proper breakfast can serve as an energy booster. Skipping breakfast drains your energy, contributing to the fatigue problem. Its important to eat nutritiously at every meal but focus on breakfast to start your day off right.

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