Keywords ✩

✩ A ✩

ACUTE: Of short duration & coming on suddenly
ADRENAL GLANDS : Small organs, located above the kidney, that produce many hormones, including corticosteroids & epinephrine
ALBUMIN: A protein that circulates in the blood & carries materials to cells
ALBUMINURIA: A protein in urine
ALOPECIA: Hair loss
ANAEMIA: A condition resulting from low red blood cell counts
ANALGESIC: A drug that alleviates pain (painkiller)
ANTIBODIES: Special protein substances made by the body's white cells for defense against bacteria & other foreign substances
ANTICARDIOLIPIN ANTIBODY: An antiphospholipid antibody
ANTI-DNA: Antibodies to DNA; seen in half of those with systemic lupus & implies serious disease
ANTI-ENA: Old term for extractable nuclear antibodies, which largely consist of anti-SM & anti-RNP antibodies
ANTIGEN: A substance that stimulates antibody formation;in lupus, this can be a foreign substance or a product of the patient's own body
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY: An agent that counteracts or suppresses inflammation
ANTIMALARIALS: Drugs originally used to treat malaria that are helpful for lupus
ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES (ANA): Proteins in the blood that react with the nuclei of cells. Seen in 96% of those with SLE, in 5% of healthy individuals, & in most patients with autoimmune diseases
A titer of 1:80 or above is usually considered positive
ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODY: Antibodies to a constituent of cell membranes seen in one-third of those with SLE. In the presence of a co-factor, these antibodies can altert clotting & lead to strokes, blood clots, miscarriages, & low platelet counts. Also detected as the lupus anticoagulent
ANTI-RNP: Antibody to ribonucleoprotein. Seen in SLE & mixed connective tissue disease
ANTI-SM: Anti-Smith antibody; found only in lupus
ANTI-SSA: Or the Ro antibody, is associated with Sjogren's syndrome, sun sensitivity, neonatal lupus, & congenital heartblock
ANTI-SSB: Or the La antibody, is almpost always seen with anti-SSA
APHERESIS: Process of removing blood or some component of it from the body.
APOPTOSIS: Programmed cell death
ARTHRAGLIA: Pain in a joint
ARTHRITIS: Inflammation of a joint
ASEPTIC MENINGITIS: Inflammation of the lining of the brain (meninges) that is not due to any infectious agent
AUTOANTIBODY: An antibody to one's own tissues or cells
AUTOIMMUNITY: Allergy to one's own tissue

✩ B ✩

B LYMPHOCYTE or B CELL: A white blood cell that makes Antibodies
BASOPHILS: Make up less than 1% of white blood cells. These specialised cells combat parasitic or fungal invasion, & also play a roll in allergy. Normal range = up to 0.15
BIOPSY: Removal of a bit of tissue for examination under the microscope
BULLOUS LUPUS: Produces fluid-filled blisters or a rash similar to that of chickenpox.
BLOOD UREA NITROGEN (BUN): A product of protein metabolism. When the kidneys fail, the BUN levels rise, as do the levels of uric acid
BURSA: A sac of synovial fluid between tendons, muscles, & bones that promotes easier movement
BUTTERFLY RASH: Reddish facial eruption over the bridge of nose & cheeks, resembling a butterfly in flight. Also known as Malar rash.

✩ C ✩

CARDIAC TAMPONADE: Accumulation of fluid around the heart.
CARTILAGE: Tissue material covering bone
CHILLBLAINS: A term used to describe cold-blisters on or inflammation of the fingers, toes or ears
CHROMOSOMES: Rod-shaped bodies in nucleus of cells containing the genes
CHRONIC: Persisting over a long period of time
CNS: Central Nervous System
COGNITION: Awareness; ability to think methodically
CONNECTIVE TISSUE: The 'glue' that holds muscles, skin & joints together
COMPLEMENT: A group of proteins that, when activated, promote & are consumed during inflammation.
CH50 (Complement, total hemolytic), Normal range=52-128 CAE units
Complement C4, Normal range = 30-60 mg/dl
Complement C3, Normal range = 83-240 mg/dl
COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT (CBC): A blood test that measures the amount of red blood cells, white blood cells, & platelets in the body
CORTICOSTEROID: Any natural anti-inflammatory hormone made by the adrenal cortex; can also be made synthetically
CORTISONE: A synthetic corticosteroid
CREATININE: A waste product of creatine metabolism. There are high levels of creatinine in the blood when the kidneys are not functioning properly
CREST SYNDROME: A form of limited sclerodoma characterised by Calcium deposits under the skin, Raynaud's phenomenon, Esophageal dysfunction, Sclerodactyly or tight skin, & a rash called Telangiectasia
CROSSOVER SYNDROME: An autoimmune process that has features of more than one rheumatic disease(e.g. lupus & scleroderma)
C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP): A blood protein. Raised levels are found in inflammation such as infections
CUTANEOUS: Relating to the skin
CYTOKINE: A group of chemicals that signal cells to perform certain actions

✩ D ✩

DERMATOMYOSITIS: An autoimmune process directed against muscles associated with skin rashes
DISCOID LUPUS: A thick plaquelike rash seen in 20% of those with SLE. If the patient has the rash but not SLE, he or she is said to have cutaneous (discoid) lupus erythematosus
DIURETIC: A drug that helps to make more urine
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid. The body's building blocks. A molecule responsible for the production of all the body's proteins

✩ E ✩
ECG (or EKG): Electrocardiogram, a recording of electrical forces from the heart
ELECTRO-RETINOGRAPHY: A sensitive screening test for early abnormalities of the retina of the eye
ENA: Extractable Nuclear Antibody. Blood test that covers Anti-RNP, Anti-Sm, Anti-La, Anti-Ro antibodies.
ENDOCARDITIS: Inflammation of the inner lining of the heart
EOSINOPHILS: White blood cells that make up 0-5% of all white blood cells. Eosinophils are involved in allergic responses.
Normal range = up to 0.5
ERYTHEMA: A reddish hue
ERYTHROCYTES: Red blood cells, which have no nucleus & transport oxygen to the tissues
ESR: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The blood test used as a 'barometer' of inflammation. Normal range = male 0-15mm/hour; female 0-20 mm/hour

✩ F ✩
FIBROMYALGIA (FIBROSITIS): A pain amplification syndrome characterised by fatigue, a sleep disorder, & tender points in the soft tissues; can be caused by steroids & mistaken for lupus, although 20% of those with lupus have fibromyalgia
FLARE: Symptoms reappear

✩ G ✩
GENE: The biologic unit of heredity located on a particular chromosome
GLOMERULONEPHRITIS: Inflammation of the glomerulus of the kidney; seen in one-third of patients with lupus

✩ H ✩
HAEMATOCRIT: A measurement of red blood cell levels. Low levels produce anaemia
HAEMATURIA: Red blood cells in the urine
HAEMIPARESIS: Paralysis or weakness on one side of the body
HAEMOGLOBIN: Oxygen-carrying protein of red blood cells. Low levels produce anaemia.
Normal range = 13.2-17.0
HAEMOLYTIC ANEMIA: Anaemia caused by premature destruction of red blood cells due to antibodies to the red blood cell surface
HISTOLOGY: The study of the microscopic structure of tissue
HISTOPATHOLOGY: The study of microscopic changes in diseased tissue

✩ I ✩

IGG (IMMUNOGLOBLIN G): The major antibody of plasma & the most important part of our antibody response. Most autoimmune diseases are characterised by IgG antibodies
IGM: Initially produced to fight antigens but soon decreases & allows IgG to take over. It plays an important but secondary role in autoimmunity
IMMUNE COMPLEX: An antigen & antibody together
IMMUNOSUPPRESIVE: A medication such as cyclophosphamide or azathioprine, which treats lupus by supppressing the immune system
INFLAMMATION: Swelling, heat, & redness resulting from the infiltration of white blood cells into tissues
INTERSTITIAL PNEUMONITIS: Atypical pneumonia due to either a virus or unknown factors
INTRAVENOUS PYELOGRAM (IVP): An x-ray examination of the kidneys

✩ L ✩

LE CELL: Specific cell found in blood specimens of most lupus patients. The LE cell is a white blood cell that has swallowed the nucleus of another white blood cell
LESION: A change in tissue due to injury or disease
LEUKOPENIA: A low white blood cell count.
LIVEDO RETICULARIS: A blotchy purplish discoloration of blood vessels, usually on the wrists and knees
LUPUS ANTICOAGULENT: A means of detecting antiphospholipid antibodies from prolonged clotting times
LUPUS PROFUNDUS: Inflammation of subcutaneous fat
LUPUS VULGARIS: Tuberculosis of the skin; not related to systemic or discoid lupus
LYMPH GLANDS: Glands situated strategically around the body to protect against the spread of infection
LYMPHOCYTE: Type of white blood cell that fights infection & mediates the immune response.
Normal range = 1.20-4.0
LYMPHOPENIA: A decrease in the number of lymphocytes in the blood.

✩ M ✩
MACROPHAGES: Cells that eat antigens, immune complexes, bacteria, & viruses
MIXED CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE: Exists when a patient who carries the anti-RNP antibody has features of more than one autoimmune disease
MONOCYTES: White cells that represent about 5% of circulating blood cells. They are responsible for processing foreign materials (antigens), & the destroying cells & tissue debris that are by products of inflammation.
Normal range = 0.2-1.0
MRI (MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING): The form of scan using magnetism rather than x-rays