World Lupus Day

World Lupus Day is marked annually on May 10, with the aim of increasing the level of information regarding the symptoms and impact of the disease. In 2021, this day had the slogan Make lupus visible. In this context, on May 13, the Discipline of Cardiology within the Department of Internal Medicine (DIM) of Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy together with the Institute of Cardiology organized a webinar for family doctors, cardiologists, pulmonologists and other specialists of the country.

Associate Professor Lucia Mazur-Nicorici, Discipline of Cardiology, DIM, has stressed that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is not a common disease, but a complex pathology, difficult to address for several reasons and with a wide range of manifestations. The seminar presented the clinical case of a 25-year old young man, whose illness started with an acute heart syndrome; it took 2 months before they managed to establish the diagnosis and initiate targeted treatment.

Experts estimate that the diagnosis of lupus requires, on average, four years and the consultation of three different doctors. Lupus is difficult to diagnose because it has symptoms that often mimic characteristics similar to other conditions, vary greatly from one patient to another and may occur over time in the manifestation of the disease.

According to statistical data, in the world about 5 million people suffer from SLE, 93% of them being women with an average age of 43 years (the female to male ratio is 10:1). It is established that 5 out of 10 patients cannot work due to this condition. Although the causes of lupus are not precisely known, the higher number of cases in women than in men may indicate that the disease is triggered by both genetic predisposition and certain hormones.

The seminar was attended by about 80 people from health centers, the Institute of Cardiology, the Institute of Mother and Child, the Cardiology Dispensary and Chiril Draganiuc Institute of Phthisiopneumology.