Halsey announcement In a June 5 Instagram post, she said she has lupus, an autoimmune disease diagnosed in 2022, and a rare white blood cell disorder. In a previous message Announcing the release of her single “The End,” Halsey said she was “lucky to be alive” and included photos and videos of herself at the hospital where her wife The 29-year-old said she felt “like an old lady.” Although Halsey’s health issues are either “managing or in remission,” after two years of trying to “get everything under control,” she will likely suffer from both issues for the rest of her life, he said. she declared.
Here’s what you need to know about lupus and white blood cell disorders.
What is lupus?
Affecting approximately 1.5 million Americans, lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which cells meant to fight infections mistakenly attack healthy parts of the body. This untargeted immune response causes inflammation that can strike just about any part of the body, including, typically, the skin, joints, and internal organs, including the kidneys and heart, according to the study. American Lupus Foundation.
There are four main types of lupus. Halsey was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (or SLE lupus), which is both the most common and most severe form of the disease, according to the LFA. Another form, cutaneous lupus, mainly affects the skin. There are also a few types of medications, including certain antibiotics as well as seizure, anti-inflammatory, and blood pressure treatments, that can trigger drug-induced lupus erythematosus, or DILE. In rare cases, mothers can pass the disease to their developing babies, causing neonatal lupus.
What are the causes of lupus?
The root cause of lupus remains unknown. People with lupus are thought to have a hereditary predisposition to developing the disease, “especially if they come into contact with something that can trigger the disease, such as increased exposure to the sun, an infection, or certain medications,” according to the clinic. Mayo. Dr. Jesse Bracamonte, tells Yahoo Life. No lupus gene has been identified, but it is hereditary.
Although it’s not clear why, “nine out of ten people with lupus are women, and 43 percent of them are women of color,” says Stacie Bell, research scientist on the autoimmune system and executive vice president of Lupus Therapeutics. The disease also tends to be more severe in women of color, Bell adds.
What are the symptoms?
Unpredictability is a hallmark of lupus. “Symptoms present so differently in each person with lupus,” says Bell, adding that this variation makes the disease particularly difficult to diagnose. The closest thing to a telltale sign of the disease is the so-called butterfly rash (or malar rash) – a red rash on the cheeks and bridge of the nose that appears after exposure to the sun. But only about half of all people with lupus develop a rash, according to Johns Hopkins Lupus Center.
There are many other potential symptoms and may seem unrelated to someone who doesn’t know they have…
