How Lupus Affects the Body

Lupus causes inflammation and other damage in one or more organs or organ systems. For some people this damage may be limited to skin and joints. In other people, the lungs, kidneys, blood, brain, or other organs and tissues also may be affected.

Systemic lupus can be mild or severe and sometimes fatal. Some of the more serious complications which involve major organ systems are:

• inflammation of the kidneys (lupus nephritis), which can affect the body’s ability to filter waste from the blood. This can be so damaging that dialysis or kidney transplant may be needed.
• an increase in blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension)
• inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis), which can lead to congestive heart failure
• hardening of the arteries (atherosclerotic heart disease), which is a buildup of deposits on coronary artery walls that can lead to a heart attack
• involvement of the nervous central system and brain (CNS lupus), which can cause stroke, memory problems, confusion, and headaches.
• inflammation of the brain’s blood vessels, which can cause high fevers, seizures, behavioral changes, and psychosis.

Learn More:

Blood Disorders
Cardiopulmonary Disease
Drug-Induced Lupus
Heart Disease among Women with Lupus
Joint and Muscle Pain
Kidney Disease
Nervous System
Osteoporosis
Overlap with Other Diseases
Sjögren's Syndrome and Lupus
Vasculitis
Other Topics