Lupus, Neurological Sequelae of (2024)

FAQs

What are the neurological sequelae of lupus? ›

In addition to headache, lupus can cause other neurological disorders, such as mild cognitive dysfunction, organic brain syndrome, peripheral neuropathies, sensory neuropathy, psychological problems (including personality changes, paranoia, mania, and schizophrenia), seizures, transverse myelitis, and paralysis and ...

The lupus disease process creates certain proteins and antibodies that can cause inflammation in your brain and around your nerves. They can also damage your blood vessels, which makes it harder to get oxygen to your brain, and makes blood clots more likely.

Nervous system involvement is frequently reported in 75% of patients in SLE and that varied from mild subtle signs like headache and mood disturbance to life threatening conditions like acute confusional state, stroke and myelopathy [1].

People with NPSLE have a higher risk of death compared with people with SLE. Some research also links severe NPSLE symptoms to a lower chance of survival. For instance, according to a 2020 study , the mortality rate among people with mild to severe NPSLE was four to five times higher than that of the larger population.

In most cases, lupus is not fatal. In fact, 80% to 90% of people who have this autoimmune disease will likely live a normal life span. Still, some people do die from the disease, in which your immune system attacks your body's organs and tissues.

If your brain is affected by lupus, you may experience headaches, dizziness, behavior changes, vision problems, and even strokes or seizures. Many people with lupus experience memory problems and may have difficulty expressing their thoughts.

According to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) nomenclature published in 1999,¹ there are 19 peripheral and CNS syndromes that are associated with lupus (Table 1). Five of the CNS symptoms are psychiatric symptoms: acute confusional state, anxiety disorder, cognitive dysfunction, mood disorder, and psychosis.

Cardiovascular disease, not lupus itself, is the number one cause of death in people with lupus. (It is actually the number one cause of death around the world.) The number two cause of death for people with lupus is infection.

Can a neurologist diagnose lupus? ›

You may need to see a number of specialists such as doctors who treat kidney problems (nephrologists), blood disorders (hematologists) or nervous system disorders (neurologists) depending on your symptoms, to help with diagnosis and treatment.

Using such measures and including all categories of the ACR diagnostic guidelines, 80% to 90% of SLE patients have some neuropsychiatric manifestation, with the most common being depression (50% to 60%); headache (50% to 70%); and cognitive dysfunction (30% to 50%).

Lupus and the autonomic nervous system

When your immune system attacks your ANS, you might experience a wide range of symptoms that don't seem to related to one another (or to your lupus, in many cases). Those symptoms include numbness, tingling, burning, headaches, confusion, diarrhea, and Reynaud's phenomenon.

Some foods that have been said to make lupus worse include nightshade vegetables, and animal protein. Nightshade vegetables include potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers.

Researchers of one study found that those with lupus who had a daily caffeine intake between 154 mg – 377 mg/day experienced a lower prevalence of “lupus nephritis, neuropsychiatric involvement, hematological manifestations, hypocomplementemia, and anti-DNA positivity.” These individuals also had lower blood levels of ...

loss of concentration and attention. loss of memory or forgetfulness. inability to follow a conversation.

When lupus affects the brain, spinal cord or other nerves, it is called neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) or central nervous system (CNS) lupus. This happens in about 40% of all people who have systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE. It is a lifelong disease with quiet spells and flare-ups.