What is the most common causes of death with lupus?

Answer 1

I found one study that said 30 years younger than the average national age of death. That didn't help much so I kept searching, finding this: Go to http://diglib.tums.ac.ir/pub/magmng/pdf/1041.pdf This one says the average age at death is 26. 30 years ago, lupus was considered a death sentence and patients were not expected to survive longer than 5 years after diagnosis. Today, the majority of lupus patients can expect to live a relatively normal life span provided they follow their treatment plan and adopt a healthy lifestyle. (I am 57 and have SLE with major organ involvement and I am sitting here writing.) There are no solid mortality statistics on lupus. The reason for this is that lupus is very rarely listed as the direcct cause of death. 40% of lupus patients will develop lupus nephitis which can kill. The cause of death is listed as kidney failure not lupus. Lupus patients are twice as likely to develop atheroscleroisis or hardening of the arteries and to suffer cardiovascular events like strokes and heart attacks. The cause of death is listed as stroke or heart attack and not lupus. Lupus patients have great difficulty battling infection because of a confused immune system and the immunosuppressive medications they take to manage the disease. If a lupus patient dies of pneumonia, that is listed as the cause of death and not lupus. In addition, the medications taken to manage lupus have side effects that can lead to complications which lead to death. I have lupus and work with lupus patients on a daily basis. From personal experience with many, many patients I can say that the average age of death is most certainly not 26!

Answer 2

Lupus is an autoimmune disease - the body's immune system is destroying the body's own organs and cells.

Many patients who die from SLE die either from complications of treatment, or from the disease process itself.

Answer 3

See related link.