Lupus is a complex, chronic disease of the immune system. Lupus is called an autoimmune disease because the body attacks its own healthy tissues. Lupus can affect any part of the body.
- Symptoms include painful or swollen joints, extreme fatigue, and skin rashes.
- Lupus can also cause problems you may not be able to see, such as damage to the kidneys, lungs, heart, brain, or nervous system.
- Lupus is hard to diagnose because the symptoms can be vague and may resemble other illnesses.
- Lupus can be very mild or life threatening. No two people have the same experience; it varies from person to person.
In 1988, Hospital for Special Surgery established LupusLine®. A free national telephone peer counseling service support line staffed by trained volunteers who are living with lupus or family members of people with lupus
