| Panniculitis |
Inflammation of subcutaneous fat |
| Pericardial effusion |
Fluid around the sac of the heart |
| Pericarditis |
Inflammation of the pericardium |
| Pericardium |
A sac lining the heart |
| Peritonitis |
Inflammation of the lining of the abdomen |
| Pernicious anaemia |
Condition caused by vitamin B12 deficiency & characterised
by anaemia & spinal-cord abnormalities |
| Petechiae |
Small haemorrhages, or pinpoint lesions, on the skin |
| Phlebitis |
Inflammation of a vein |
| Placebo |
Inactive substance (such as a sugar pill) given to a patient
either for its pleasing effect or as a control in experiments
with an active drug |
| Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) |
An antimalarial drug used in the treatment of lupus.Usual
dose is 1-2 tablets daily(200-400mg)
Possible side effects include - loss of appetite, nausea,
indigestion, headache, diarrhoea, itching or rash, rarely
hydroxychloroquine may affect the eyes (regular checks can
monitor this) |
| Plasmapheresis |
Filtration of blood plasma through a machine to remove proteins
that may aggravate lupus |
| Platelet |
A component of blood responsible for clotting |
| Platelet count |
Normal range = 150,000-450,000/cmm |
| Pleura |
A sac lining the lung |
| Pleural effusion |
Fluid in the sac lining the lung |
| Pleuritis/pleurisy |
Irritation or inflammation of the ling of the lung |
| Polyarteritis |
A disease closely related to lupus featuring inflammation
of medium & small-sized blood vessels |
| Polymyalgia rheumatica |
An autoimmune disease of the joints & muscles seen in
older patients with high sedimentation rates who have severe
aching in their shoulders, upper arms, hips & upper legs |
|
| Polymyositis |
An autoimmune disease that targets muscles |
| Prednisone; prednisolone |
Synthetic steroids |
| Proteinuria |
Excess protein levels in the urine |
| Pulmonary hypertension |
Elevated blood pressure in the lungs |
| Pulse steroids |
Very high doses of corticosteroids given intravenously over
1 to 3 days to critically ill patients |
| Purpura |
Red spots under the skin - due to 'leaky' small blood vessels
or to very low platelet counts |
| Rash |
Inflammation of the skin |
| Raynaud's disease |
Isolated Raynaud's phenomenon; not part of any other disease |
| Raynaud's phenomenon |
Discolouration of the hands or feet (they turn blue, white
or red) especially with cold temperatures; a feature of an autoimmune
disease |
| RBC |
Red blood cell count
Normal range = 4.20-5.80 |
| Remission |
Quiet period free from symptoms, but not necessarily representing
a cure |
| Rheumatic disease |
Any of 150 disorders affecting the immune or musculoskeletal
systems. About 30 of these are also autoimmune |
| Rheumatoid arthritis |
Chronic disease of the joints marked by inflammatory changes
in the joint-lining membranes, which may give positive results
on tests of rheumatoid factor & ANA |
| Rheumatologist |
An internal medicine specialist who has completed at least
a 2-year fellowship studying rheumatic diseases |
| Ro-antibody |
See anti-SSA |
| SCLE |
Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. A rash, often circular
& distributed on the chest, neck & upper arms. Sometimes
seen in patients whose blood tests are negative. It is very
sensitive to UV light. |
| Scleritis |
Inflammation (and redness) in the white of the eye |
| Scleroderma |
An autoimmune disease featuring rheumatoid-type inflammation,
tight skin, & vascular problems |
| Sedimentation rate |
Test that measures the precipitation of red cells in a column
of blood; high rates usually indicate increased disease activity |
| Septrin |
An antibiotic - often causes rashes in lupus patients |
| Serositis |
Inflammation of the lining (serosa) of organs - usually either
pleurisy, pericarditis, or peritonitis |
| Sjogren's syndrome |
Dry eyes, dry mouth, & arthritis observed with most autoimmune
disorders or by itself (primary Sjogren's) |
| Synovitis |
Inflammation of the tissues lining a joint |
| Systemic |
Pertaining to or affecting the body as a whole |
| T cell |
A lymphocyte responsible for immunologic memory |
| Temporal arteritis |
Inflammation of the temporal artery (located in the scalp)
associated with high sedimentation rates, systemic symptoms,
& sometimes loss of vision |
| Thrombocytopenia |
Low platelet counts |
| Thymus |
A gland in the neck area responsible for immunologic
maturity |
| Titer |
Amount of a substance, such as ANA |
| Tolerance |
The failure to make antibodies to an antigen |
| UV light |
Ultraviolet light. Its spectrum includes UVA (320 to 400
nanometers), UVB (290 to 320 nm), & UVC (200 to 290 nm)
wavelengths |
| Uremia |
Marked kidney insufficiency frequently necessitating dialysis |
| Vasculitis |
Inflammation of the blood vessels |
| WBC |
White blood cell count
Normal range = 3.8-11.0 |
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Lupus & Infections 
Lupus in Men