Creating Awareness on the Dangers of Lupus Disease

To tackle the ignorance bordering the chronic autoimmune disease, Systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus, a non-governmental organisation, Lupus Haven Nigeria recently took its sensitisation campaign to market places in Rivers State. Blessing Ibunge writes that over 300 persons also benefited from free medical by the group

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect many parts of the body. According to medical experts, Lupus occurs when the immune system, which normally helps protect the body from infection and disease, attacks its own tissues.

The Lupus Haven has in the past years been creating awareness on the deadly disease. Recently, the group took same sensitisation to Rumuola community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Buguma in Asari-Toru and communities in Oyigbo.

During the most recent sensitisation and free medical care, held at the New Market Borokiri, Port Harcourt, beneficiaries had opportunities of health talk/free medical check, malaria check, eye check, breast examination, fasting blood sugar test and blood pressure check, lupus awareness talk, kidney check, liver check and other related medical examinations.

Dr Eunice Oriji, one of the medical personnel at the outreach, said some of the symptoms associated with the diseases include resistant malaria, severe headache and fever, kidney and liver damage, reddish rashes on the face or other parts of the body, etc. She explained that although is genetic but most of the victims are females.

Dr Oriji who further explained that there is no cure to the disease, said if identified early a victim can survive it while tackling the symptoms.   

She said “We came for the medical outreach, trying to sensitise people about LUPUS. Most people are not aware of this disease which is mostly common on females of a productive age. They come to the hospital with common illness like malaria symptom, headache and fever. So they will come on the first day we treat them they go, the second day the illness still persist so we said let check.

“We have come to realised that LUPUS comes with same symptom like malaria before it progresses to affecting different parts of the body.Lupus is generally a disease where your body is fighting your body. It commonly meets by people to the person they generate. This illness happen and we advise people, especially those of productive age from 13 to 18, aside from coming to complain for malaria, they should come and also have this particular illness check. 

“Lupus, like I said initially, you will have a generalispoed symptoms like body weakness, is misdiagnosed to be like malaria, until the person starts have multisystem damage whereby you are weak, you cannot even move, it starts affecting your muscles, it affects your kidneys, your liver, all organs of the body”.

Dr Oriji said noted that the disease is genetic, “is not what we can diagnose by mere seeing the person. Based on one or two illness, we now go further to diagnose by performing some investigations to really know if this is what it is.

“The cause of the illness is unknown for now. As such we tend to manage it base on the symptoms the patient present with. So if it has affected your kidney, the person will come down with reduce urinary output, they will manage that. Depending on the symptom, if is the muscles we can help with therapy just to help revive the cells”.

The doctor added that “As a community we cannot do without those who are asking for things that are affecting them. Traders as you can see they don’t have the time to come to the hospital, so we are here to also render services, treat them. What we noticed is that majority of them have hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, so we are here to also render such services to them”.

Mrs Ugomma Ozigbo, one of the founding members of the foundation, hinted that over 200 persons were targeted to benefit from the programme but at the end of the outreach about 300 received medical attention.

She further hinted that by December this year Lupus Haven will organize a bigger outreach in the state which will focus mostly on cancer.  She expressed that the organization needs financial support to reach wider population in the state.

“Today, we are in the market place to sensitise the people about lupus and then give them medical help. We have come here today with doctors, nurses, eye doctors. We have come with malaria medicines, high blood pressure medicine.

“We planned to attend to at least 200 people, we feed and share the word of God with them and we tell them about Lupus, things to look out for being that God has helped us, we have a survival, a lupus warrior in our midst. So this is our way of showing God we are thankful for His help. But we are attending to over 200 persons here. So this organisation needs all the support that we can get because is financially tasking but God is helping.

“By December we are planning a bigger outreach to look into cancer. So far we have done similar outreach in Rumuola, Buguma, Mile one park and Oyigbo. The foundation has been running for about two years now. We run the outreaches monthly and then we have a praise station on Stadium Road”.

A survival of the disease, who spoke to THISDAY at the outreach, Ijeoma Maria Ozigbo advised other victims to speak out for timely intervention. As a victim, she said she has to so many people encouraging them on to seek attention of good doctors and follow instructions when given.

“Before when you get to a certain age and you don’t have the disease is fine but now it seems to be everything. I believe letting people know about the disease, giving them things to watch out and things they can do to ascertain if they are under the attack of Lupus or not is very important.

“Is not very easy but I have a very good support system and that is very important, being able to talk to your parent, let  them know what is going on and they can actually take you to the best doctors possible. Thy help because sometimes  if you don’t know what to look for, you just be treating malaria and the disease will be spreading to your kidney and even the heart and then you find someone that is 42 or below the age dead from a stroke or something else when it could have been treated earlier.

“I believe that with the experience I have had, I want to help other people so that they can know ahead of time instead of waiting for the disease to spread wide in the person’s body.

“Most times the attack start with the joints and skin, so the person will start having reddish rashes on their face and on their joint they will start having stiffness and swelling  and sometimes they start having malaria symptoms. In Nigeria they will be treating malaria and they will forget the other signs when they could also pay attention to other signs and figure out that is other thing not just malaria”.

Some of the beneficiaries of the free medical care that spoke at the awareness programme expressed appreciation to the group.

A septuagenarian, who gave her name as Dappah Blessing, said she never expected to benefit from the programme as a she was in the market to purchase fruits not a trader.

The retired primary school teacher said “Actually I did not know I would come and meet blessing today. I went to the market to buy fruits, as I was coming out I saw the group on medical outreach and they called me to come closer. When I got there, they checked me on Sugar level, BP and referred me to a doctor who also checked me on arthritis because every night I do have pain.

“After the diagnoses, they gave me drugs, breakfast and every bible. God will continue to bless the Lupus foundation for the free medical”.

Another septuagenarian, Mr Christian Iwunze, who came for the medical check from Rumuokoro axis of Obio/Akpor, said “When I checked my BP it was normal but arthritis was my challenge. They referred me to a doctor who prescribed drugs for me.

“I pray to God they should be coming every six months because we are suffering; there is no money to go to the hospital. I am very happy. I came from Rumuokoro when I heard about free health care services. I am 70 years old now but with the way I attend to my health issues, you could hardly predict my age. I look very young”.

The Public Relations Officer of the Market, Helen Conquest who also lauded the group expressed “I came for eye check and malaria test. I thank God they have diagnosed and given me drugs for malaria and glasses to correct my eyes so that I will be able to read very well.

“I know it is not easy to leave our business and go to a hospital for health care. Sometimes if you go, you will spend alot of money but right now it is free of charge they have given me. I really appreciate the organisation”, she added.

Pictures: 

Beneficiaries of the free market medical outreach in Borokiri, Port Harcourt by Lupus Haven Nigeria, receiving drugs from the pharmacists

2. One of the medical personnel attending to a patient at the outreach