Three Common Viral Infections That Can Imitate, Trigger, or Worsen Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
One aspect to consider when SLE-like symptoms suddenly appear.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease. In SLE, the immune system becomes dysfunctional, where the immune cells become overly aggressive, less competent in their tasks, and fail to differentiate between the body’s proteins and foreign invaders.
As a result, these cells erroneously target healthy tissues, provoking inflammation and harm to different organs. Clinical manifestations are variable, but some of the main symptoms of SLE are butterfly (or malar) rash, joint pain, and photosensitivity.
Women have about a tenfold higher risk of developing SLE than men, usually occurring during the childbearing age of 15–45 years. Numerous genetic abnormalities associated with the immune system have been identified as contributors to the onset of SLE. However, beyond genetic defects, additional factors like environmental elements can also play a role in the development of SLE. One such instances are viral infections.
In this article, I will delve into some of the common viral infections that have been associated with SLE.
