What should I do if lupus causes hair loss?

Written by Zhang Lin
Rheumatology and Immunology Nephrology
Updated on September 18, 2024
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What should be done when a lupus patient experiences hair loss? Patients with lupus should keep their hair clean in daily life, not use too much shampoo when washing their hair, avoid dyeing or perming their hair, and reduce the damage to hair from chemical products. This prevents rashes or worsening rashes caused by allergies to hair dyes and damage to hair quality from perming. If hair loss occurs due to the effect of medications, patients can choose to wear a wig during treatment. After chemotherapy ends, new hair will grow, so patients need not worry excessively. Maintaining a pleasant mood is also quite important for recovery from the disease. The basic pathological change in lupus patients is vasculitis. When the small blood vessels in the skin become inflamed, the nutrient supply to the hair follicles is disrupted, which can easily lead to hair loss and affect hair growth. Generally, hair can regrow after the disease is controlled. If hair loss occurs again, it could be a symptom of a disease relapse.

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Written by Zhang Lin
Rheumatology and Immunology Nephrology
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Can people with lupus eat beef?

For patients with lupus, we recommend eating less beef. This is because our dietary guidelines for lupus patients are: high protein, low fat, low salt, low sugar, and foods rich in various vitamins and calcium. Since beef is a high-phenylamine protein food, it is advised to consume less of it. Patients can eat some fish, lean meat, chicken, and duck, depending on their financial situation, to supplement the protein lost in the kidneys but should not eat too much to avoid indigestion. The diet for lupus patients should be light, and when cooking, food should not be too oily or too spicy.

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Written by Zhang Lin
Rheumatology and Immunology Nephrology
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Lupus erythematosus taking steroids side effects

Patients with lupus mainly use steroid treatment, but steroids have many side effects during their application, such as increased blood pressure, inducing or exacerbating infections, inducing or aggravating peptic ulcers, necrosis of the femoral head, osteoporosis and vertebral compressive fractures, delaying wound healing in injured patients, increasing blood sugar, etc. Additionally, steroids can cause nervous sensitivity, agitation, insomnia, emotional changes, and even apparent mental symptoms, inducing seizures such as epilepsy. Some patients may also have suicidal tendencies. Therefore, it is necessary to use medication rationally under the guidance of a doctor, reduce the dosage timely, and effectively prevent and treat to minimize the occurrence of side effects. Taking steroids can also lead to weight gain; hair loss is relatively less common. The occurrence of side effects varies among individuals and should be tailored to the patient's specific condition.

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Written by Liu Li Ning
Rheumatology
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Symptoms of lupus cerebritis

Symptoms of lupus cerebritis can range from mild to severe. Mild symptoms include migraines, personality changes, memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment. Severe cases may present with cerebrovascular accidents, coma, status epilepticus, and other central nervous system symptoms, including aseptic meningitis, cerebrovascular disease, demyelinating syndrome, headaches, movement disorders, spinal cord disease, epileptic seizures, acute mental confusion, anxiety, cognitive impairment, mood disturbances, and psychiatric disorders. Peripheral nervous system manifestations include Guillain-Barre syndrome, autonomic dysfunction, mononeuritis, myasthenia gravis, cranial nerve disorders, nerve plexus disorders, and polyneuritis.

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Written by Zhang Lin
Rheumatology and Immunology Nephrology
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Is lupus contagious?

Lupus erythematosus is not contagious. The occurrence of lupus erythematosus is related to genetic factors, the levels of sex hormones in the body, and certain environmental factors that the body is exposed to. It is the combined effect of these factors that lowers the body's immune tolerance, causing disorder in immune function, and thus leading to this autoimmune disease. Therefore, unlike diseases caused by various pathogens, it cannot be transmitted from person to person. When normal individuals come into contact with patients, there is no need to fear contagion or to isolate the patients. During the remission and stable phases of the disease, lupus patients can engage in regular work, study, and participate in social activities just like healthy individuals.

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Written by Liu Li Ning
Rheumatology
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Can early lupus nephritis be cured?

Early stage lupus nephritis does not have a cure. Some patients can achieve clinical remission by strictly adhering to a certain medication. Systemic lupus erythematosus can involve multiple systems and organs throughout the body. The kidneys are one of the most commonly affected target organs. Research shows that if systemic lupus erythematosus is diagnosed, performing a kidney biopsy will reveal lupus nephritis in almost 100% of the cases. The main treatment for lupus nephritis involves long-term maintenance with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Commonly used immunosuppressants include cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine, azathioprine, and tacrolimus.