Easy-to-Read Information on Lupus Now Available in Spanish

Format: Fact Sheet
Institute: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

The immune system is designed to attack foreign substances in the body, but if you have the autoimmune disease lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system and it attacks healthy cells and tissues. This can damage your joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and even your brain. The cause of lupus is unknown, and anyone can get it, but it most often affects women. The disease is more common in women of African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent than in white women.

The most common symptoms include pain or swelling in the joints, muscle pain, fever with no known cause, red rashes, chest pain when taking a deep breath, swollen glands, and feeling very tired.

A new Spanish-language fact sheet on lupus, ¿Qué es el lupus?, has been published as part of the “Esenciales” series (called “Fast Facts” in English). These fact sheets use everyday language to describe a wide variety of problems affecting bones, muscles, joints, and skin. They include basic information about each condition, details about current NIAMS research, guidance on how to minimize symptoms, and a description of available treatment options.

Next Steps
You can read ¿Qué es el lupus? online at www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/lupus/fflupus_espanol.htm
or download a PDF by visiting www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/lupus/FF_Lupus_espanol.pdf.

An index of all “Fast Facts” topics, including materials in Spanish, is available at www.niams.nih.gov/hi/index.htm.