Visakhapatnam, May 9 : Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, weakening the body, said Dr Naresh Purohit, Executive Member, Association of Studies for Autoimmune Disorders, here on Sunday.
Lupus affects one in every thousand persons in India, out of which a majority are women and it may be life-threatening disease impacting women in the age group of 15 to 45 years, Dr Purohit said while addressing a webinar organized by Gitam University here on the occasion of world Lupus day.
As Lupus patients are put on immune suppressing medications, they will be at higher risk of contracting infections such as coronavirus, especially in cases of old age and other comorbidities, the expert said.
Acclaimed Epidemiologist Dr Purohit averred that people with lupus around the world continue to experience significant obstacles and as a result, serious negative health outcomes due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are many causes for the challenges with access to care and treatments, including apprehension of going to doctor’s appointments due to fear of risk of Covid-19 infection, he said.
WHO-Covid-19 technical lead Dr Purohit said that the global findings reveal senior-citizens category suffering from auto-immune diseases are at high risk of contracting covid-19 .
“The prescribed treatment protocols for Lupus patients may also increase the risk of opportunistic infections or lead to complications. Hence, prevention is one of the most important tools for such patients to fight against Covid-19,” said Dr Purohit.(UNI)