Lupus

If you want to live a long life, get a chronic disease and learn how to take care of it - Sir William Osler

Lupus is, for want of a better word, vague. According to the Lupus Foundation, "There are many challenges in confirming whether a person has Lupus. Lupus symptoms can be unclear, can come and go, and can change over time. It may take months or even years for doctors to piece together symptoms to accurately diagnose Lupus.”

More than 90% of those diagnosed are women between the ages of 15 and 44. Lupus is also a disease of flares - the symptoms worsen and you feel sick - and remissions - the symptoms improve and you feel better.

For many years Lupus was thought to be a fatal disease, but that's actually a misconception. In fact, the prognosis for Lupus is better today than ever before, thanks to advances in therapies used to stabilize this condition.