CPS and Kooyman Collaborate for Lupus Awareness. Register to attend May 26 Information Event
GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Lupus is a disease that can affect people of all ages, races, and ethnicities. It is a chronic, autoimmune disease that affects many different parts of the body.
An autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system attacks itself because it cannot tell the difference between healthy tissue and bacteria/viruses.
The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (Ministry VSA), has joined with Kooyman in hosting an event for Lupus Awareness Month on Friday, May 26 at Kooyman in Cay Hill. The event will start at 7:30 PM.
The event is being organized for the public where CPS/Kooyman would share information on Lupus awareness that will be beneficial to persons living with lupus and their families; to provide an understanding of how lupus is diagnosed, managed, and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle while living with Lupus; and to learn how families can support persons living with Lupus.
Persons interested in attending the May 26 event can register at the following link: https://www.kooymanbv.com/st_martin_en/events/.
Lupus Awareness Month is observed in May and aims to increase understanding amongst the general public and raise awareness of the physical, emotional impact of lupus; and what this disease can do, and why it’s so key to know the facts.
Lupus is an incurable disease, but there do exist treatments that can make living with it more manageable and improve the prognosis of the patient significantly.
It cannot be transmitted from person to person, but it does seem to appear more frequently in people who have a history of it in their families.
Lupus is a tricky disease to catch because it is often mistaken for other afflictions, which means it can go undetected for years without even the person affected knowing.
Amongst other symptoms, sufferers may exhibit a fever, tiredness, an increase in mouth ulcers, and may even develop arthritis.
A common symptom of a lupus sufferer can often be seen on the skin of the face; a bright red rash that runs from the bridge of the nose, under the eyes, and across the cheeks.
Because of this, it is often known as the ‘butterfly rash’. This butterfly rash is one of the most commonly associated symptoms of the disease – in fact, it is likely to be where it got its name from, with a part of its scientific name lupus erythematosus – ‘erythroid’ being derived from the ancient Greek word for ‘red’.
