Kick Lupus word cloud competition winner!

The LUPUS EUROPE 2018 convention is underway in Leuven, Belgium and among the serious speeches on medical and psychological topics, we were delighted to be presented the beautiful (and very creative) word cloud entries in the Kick Lupus competition. All in all there were 35 entries to the competition, a great response! The judges on […]

A mother’s story

For World Lupus Day, Anne Charlet, vice chair of LUPUS EUROPE, was interviewed by MedTech. When Anne Charlet’s teenage daughter complained of extreme fatigue, she thought it was just end-of-school year tiredness or anaemia. But a precautionary blood test that revealed an unusually low platelet count led to a completely unexpected diagnosis several months later: […]

Kikka’s story

My Lupus story doesn’t start in 1993 with an SLE diagnosis, but eight years earlier in 1985, when at the age of 22 I got pneumonia for the first time. O spent two weeks in hospital with a horde of doctors around my bed wondering why antibiotics weren’t working. The oldest doctor mentioned that I […]

Katharine’s story

When it was first suggested that I write a patient story for Lupus Europe, I have to say that I felt a little uncomfortable. Firstly, I’m an intensely private person and have so far never wanted to write about myself or write a blog. Secondly my ‘lupus’ is relatively mild (in the medical sense rather […]

Anna’s story

I met my Lupus on a sunny day of April 2003 when I was 23 years old. A year ago, I was hospitalized because I fainted with seizures. At the time, the doctors told me that anyone can have such episodes once or twice during their life. However, a neurologist in training thought that I was […]

Yvonne’s story

  My story – by Yvonne from the Netherlands On 6 July 2004, I woke up with a tremendous pain in my right hand. Because I also had a slight rash, my GP immediately referred me to a dermatologist. He examined me and referred me to a rheumatologist because he had a hunch what might be […]

Claudine’s story

For World Lupus Day, we have collected a few patient stories which we hope you will enjoy. If you have a story to tell, feel free to get in touch and send your story to katharine@lupus-europe.org! All stories will remain visible on this page of the blog. My life with lupus – living to the […]

Live Facebook Feed

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

🦋 Understanding lupus is crucial for effective management and self-management.

💁‍♀️ Many of us know what lupus is, and we’ve been learning from trusted resources like #Lupus100 and #LupusGPT.

🤔 But… how much do we really know about SLE?
Do we know as much as we think we do?

𝐓𝐫𝐲 #𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭❗

🎯 SLAKE (Systemic Lupus Assessment score for Essential Knowledge) is a quick and easy online tool designed for people living with lupus to test their knowledge and learn more about the disease.

📝 44 questions, randomly selected from a pool of 394
⏱️ Around 15 minutes to complete
🌍 Available in 20 languages
📊 A score for each lupus domain and an overall knowledge score

💡 Whether you're newly diagnosed or have been living with lupus for years, SLAKE helps you identify what you already know and where there is room to grow. It is not about passing or failing. It is a chance to learn more and feel more confident when taking part in decisions about your health.

📣 The SLAKE study is still open! By taking part, you are helping researchers understand which aspects of lupus are well understood and where important knowledge gaps remain.

These insights could help guide the potential development of better information resources and tools, tailored to the real needs of people living with lupus in different countries and regions.

SLAKE has been made possible thanks to the leadership of Prof Laurent Arnaud and Dr Antonin Satrin, and the collaboration of an international team of lupus experts and patient representatives.

🥰 Lupus Europe has proudly contributed to this project since the very beginning, and we encourage people living with lupus worldwide to take part while the study remains open.

🔗 Complete SLAKE today and let us know what you think!

lupusresearch.limequery.org/775349
... See MoreSee Less

☀️ As we close our #LupusUVprotection campaign, here is one important reminder:

👉 UV protection in lupus is not only about sunny beach days.

😶‍🌫️ UV exposure can happen on cloudy days, near some windows, while travelling by car, or through certain artificial light sources. And in some people with lupus, its effects may not appear immediately.

‼️ That is why clear, reliable information matters.

Whether you have questions about UV light, photosensitivity, skin symptoms, flares, fatigue, daily life with lupus, or many other lupus-related topics, Lupus Europe provides free, reliable and multilingual tools to support you:

🔹 #𝗟𝘂𝗽𝘂𝘀𝟭𝟬𝟬
Patient-friendly answers to 100 key questions about lupus, including sun exposure and UV protection
lupus100.org/en/questions/can-i-sunbathe-with-lupus

Created with lupus experts & patients. Available in 19 languages.

🔹 #𝗟𝘂𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗚𝗣𝗧
A free artificial intelligence tool to help people find reliable, valid lupus information in almost any language.:
lupusgpt.org/

🔹 #𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘆𝗟𝘂𝗽𝘂𝘀
Like LupusGPT, but designed to make the answers even easier to understand:
easy.lupusgpt.org/

🦋 Because lupus does not only affect clinic appointments. It affects everyday life.

✅ Stay informed. Ask questions. Use reliable resources.
... See MoreSee Less

Image attachment
Image attachment
Image attachment

✅ Yesterday Lupus Europe took part in the DORIS+ meeting in London, alongside clinicians, researchers and patient representatives working on a definition of deep remission in #SLE.

🌟 Lupus Europe was wonderfully represented by Jeanette Andersen, Chair of the Lupus Europe Board, Francesca Marchiori, Lupus Europe Board and PAN Member, Blanca Rubio, PAN Member and Zoe Karakikla-Mitsakou, Lupus Europe General Secretary.

🦋 This continues Lupus Europe involvement in the work on remission in lupus, building on the original DORIS initiative, where Lupus Europe also contributed.

🤔 But what is DORIS?

DORIS stands for Definitions Of Remission In SLE. It helped establish a clinical definition of remission in systemic lupus erythematosus.

🐠 DORIS+ builds on that foundation and explores the concept of deep remission.

💁‍♀️ Since the original DORIS definition was published, emerging evidence has suggested that a deeper state of remission may be within reach for at least some people with lupus. DORIS+ aims to better define what that could mean.

This matters because remission is an important concept for research, clinical care and people living with lupus.

🦋 Lupus Europe is proud to be part of this important taskforce alongside many lupologists and researchers including Prof. Laurent Arnaud, Prof. Ronald van Vollenhoven, Prof. Zahi Touma, Prof. David Isenberg, Prof. Mariele Gatto, Prof. Ioannis Parodis, Prof. Eloisa Bonfá, Prof. Frédéric A. Houssiau, Prof. Andrea Doria, Prof. Ricard Cervera and Prof. Maarten Limper.

😃 We will keep you updated!
... See MoreSee Less

Image attachment
Image attachment
Image attachment
Image attachment

☀️ 𝗨𝗩 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝘂𝗽𝘂𝘀: 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗨𝗩𝗔 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗩𝗕 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Ultraviolet light is one of the components of solar radiation. In lupus, UV exposure can contribute to 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 in some people.

💁‍♀️ That is why we are launching our #lupusuvprotection campaign: to raise awareness of the impact UV light can have on people living with lupus, especially during summer.

🦋 Photosensitivity is one of the most common manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. In the Lupus Europe Living with SLE in 2020 survey, 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝟲𝟴.𝟱% of respondents.

But UV-related lupus symptoms do not always affect only the skin. UV exposure has also been associated with systemic symptoms such as 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻, and may contribute to 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 in some people.

So what is the difference?

🔴 𝗨𝗩𝗕 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
🔸 Is mainly associated with sunburn.
🔸 Its intensity fluctuates during the day.
🔸 It is usually strongest around the middle of the day.
🔸 It mainly affects the outer layers of the skin.

🔴 𝗨𝗩𝗔 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
🔸 Penetrates deeper into the skin.
🔸 Is associated with skin ageing.
🔸 Its intensity is more constant during the day.
🔸 It can penetrate clouds and windows.

🌡️ 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
🔸 Is perceived as heat.
🔸 Feeling less heat does not necessarily mean there is no UV exposure.

‼️ This is important because UV exposure can still happen even when the sun does not feel strong. UVA rays can pass through clouds and some types of glass, which means UV protection may still be relevant on cloudy days, near windows, while travelling by car or during everyday activities.

Although not everyone with lupus is photosensitive, people living with lupus are encouraged to discuss UV protection with their healthcare team and to learn what protective measures are appropriate for them.

Learn more through #Lupus100:
f.mtr.cool/lptcxwpubz

You can also ask #lupusgpt or #easylupus questions about lupus and UV light:
f.mtr.cool/nfccvjbbep
f.mtr.cool/clxgzteshl

Information on Lupus100 is available in several languages:

🇩🇰 f.mtr.cool/lkmkxyanqw
🇩🇪 f.mtr.cool/jmyfwcgsae
🇪🇸 f.mtr.cool/kdixsnubvi
🇬🇷 f.mtr.cool/dpqkzkejog
🇫🇷 f.mtr.cool/lwhtfzpnte
🇮🇹 f.mtr.cool/utsezhzrqp
🇳🇱 f.mtr.cool/sbfwktzpdr
🇷🇴 f.mtr.cool/xbcdhkqyud
🇫🇮 f.mtr.cool/hkfvtmjobx
🇺🇦 f.mtr.cool/cgpmlevqlb

#lupusuvprotection
... See MoreSee Less

Image attachment
Image attachment
Image attachment
Image attachment
Image attachment