How does lupus progress?

Answer 1

Most cases of lupus fall into the mild to moderate category, although lupus can also be life-threatening. If you have lupus over a long period of time and you have no organ involvement you will probably be OK. If you have lupus and are not monitored for organ invovlement you run the risk of permanent damage. Organ damage in lupus rarely has symptoms until it is quite serious. If you have organ invovlvement and follow your treatment plan and take you immunosuppressive medicaitons you will probably be OK. If you have organ involvement and don't follow your treatment plan you can suffer permanent organ damage and even death.

Lupus patients are at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. The inflammation which occurs as a result of autoimmune activity can affect the blood vessels, resulting in build of of plaques. If these break off they can cause a heart attack or stroke. Long term and repeated use of steriods increases the risk. Lack of regular exercise adds to the problem. For this reason, lupus patients should minimize animal fat in their diets, and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and plant proteins.

Answer 2

Lupus is a remitting/flaring disease. There are no stages. If lupus is left untreated permanent organ damage is a possibility. There are classifications of lupus nephritis and stages within each classification, but there are no articulated "stages" of lupus in general.