The year 2015 has been a sad wave for singer-actress Selena Gomez as she confirmed that she has been diagnosed with Lupus. Her health condition has raised concerns from her fans as the "Hands To Myself" singer has ended her 2016 world tour early to focus on her health.
Selena Gomez's disease is scientifically termed as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), the common form of Lupus. According to Healthline, SLE is a type of autoimmune disease wherein the immune system attacks the body. In a normal healthy body, the immune system is the first line of defense against infections and bacteria that attacks the body whereas in patients with SLE, the immune system attacks and considers the body foreign.
According to Mail Online, the "Same Old Love" singer had undergone chemotherapy to fight the chronic disease wherein the immune system attacks the healthy tissue. The recognizable symptoms of SLE include; severe fatigue, headaches, hair loss, anemia, joint swelling, joint pain, and blood-clotting problems.
Gomez's risk factors may be reflecting SLE's origin and cause. The autoimmune disease usually affects women more than men. Medical professionals made a theory that female hormone called estrogen might be a contributing factor to the disease. Causes may also include environmental triggers such as; UV rays, certain medications, viruses, trauma, and physical or emotional stress. SLE is can also be passed genetically although the exact cause of the disease is yet to be cleared.
Despite the advancement in medical platform nowadays, there is still no known cure for SLE. The goal treatment of SLE is just to ease the symptoms but necessarily cure the disease. Gomez's treatment profile includes chemotherapy which is also a familiar treatment for some autoimmune diseases. Although SLE is not cancer, chemotherapeutic drugs have shown to fight the excitation of the immune system during attacks.
Gomez's therapeutic treatment goal using chemotherapy is to weaken the immune system in order to stop the attack and damage of the healthy tissue. SLE treatment profile is very diverse and depends on the affected part of the body. Other drugs are used towards reducing inflammation and minimizing organ damage.
Aside from the "We Don't Talk Anymore" singer, some popular personalities were also diagnosed with the same disease including; Toni Braxton, Lady Gaga, Seal, and Nick Cannon. Meanwhile, know more about Propofol, the culprit behind Michael Jackson's death; click here for more details.
