Louise Thompson: Former Made In Chelsea star announces incurable Lupus diagnosis - what is it and symptoms

Reality TV star Louise Thompson has suffered yet another health blow as she reveals she is suffering with incurable Lupus.
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Former Made In Chelsea star Louise Thompson has revealed she has been diagnosed with Lupus. Doctors have informed the Londoner the illness is incurable.

This is yet another health blow for the 32-year-old who only gave birth to her son nine months ago. Louise has struggled with PTSD and post-natal anxiety since almost dying twice during childbirth last November.

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The announcement of the reality TV actor’s recent health struggles came when she was giving fans a health update on Instagram. Louise Thompson failed to hold back tears as she explained she has been diagnosed with a rare drug-induced Lupus.

Very little is known about Lupus, with the NHS describing it as a “complex and poorly understood condition” as confusion still surrounds what the disease is, as well as symptoms and appropriate treatment. According to Lupus UK, there are only 50,000 cases in the country.

In the Instagram video, announcing her diagnosis, Louise said: “So to update you guys quickly, I had a call yesterday with one of the rheumatology guys and they got more of my blood test results back and the diagnosis is that I’ve got drug-induced lupus. So I’m suffering from that, which is fabulous. It means that I’m really tired but I’ve also started to get really intolerable joint pain especially if I sit down for any amount of time if I cross my legs.”

What is Lupus and what are its symptoms?

Lupus is regarded as an extremely complex and unpredictable condition that has different symptoms depending on what part of the body it is on. Due to its complicated nature, public awareness and understanding is poor.

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It is an autoimmune condition which means it is not contagious and instead is caused when antibodies from the immune system mistakenly attack healthy cells or organs. Experts are still not so sure about the reason behind this but it is widely agreed upon that there are multiple causes including genetics.

There are many types of the disease and the most common is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which is a serious form. According to the NHS, SLE can involve a number of various symptoms and the severity ranges from person to person.

Here are the most common symptoms of Lupus:

  • Fatigue
  • Swollen and painful joints
  • Skin irritation and rashes (normally around the hands, wrists and face)
  • Fever
  • Swollen glands
  • Headaches or migraines
  • Stomach pains

Lupos can also be affected by sudden changes in hormones, such as through pregnancy and childbirth. Therefore it is exceptionally prevalent in women of childbearing age.

It is traditionally diagnosed via blood tests, though there is currently no known cure. Instead those who suffer are given medications to manage its impact.

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