AstraZeneca is expanding its “Don’t Let Lupus Win” campaign to include testimonials from five patients

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AstraZeneca is expanding the “Don’t Let Lupus Win” campaign with the testimony of five patients with systemic lupus erythematosus about their coexistence with the disease. In five videos, patients talk about their experiences and call for more research with the aim of improving knowledge about the disease, its approach and the quality of life of people suffering from lupus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is part of rheumatic diseases, a group of 250 different pathologies that include non-inflammatory arthropathies, inflammatory arthropathies, bone metabolism diseases, musculoskeletal diseases and autoimmune diseases, a group in which it occurs. the SLE. According to Dr. Nuria Lozano, from the rheumatology service at the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital in Murcia, “estimates that about a fifth of the population over 20 years of age suffers from a rheumatic disease, and SLE accounts for 4% of this.” “. This corresponds to a prevalence of around 210 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

SLE affects 82,000 people in Spain and 5 million worldwide. It is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body’s defense mechanism attacks itself and creates an excess of antibodies in the blood, causing inflammation and damage to joints, muscles and other organs.

AstraZeneca aims to address the unmet needs of lupus patients

With this campaign, AstraZeneca aims to express the unmet needs of lupus patients and highlight the importance of increasing the visibility of the pathology. “At AstraZeneca, we have been working on the Don’t Let Lupus Win initiative for two years, always motivated by our commitment to patients. With these testimonials, we continue to focus on the importance of improving the quality of life of people with lupus and helping society understand what it means to suffer from this chronic pathology,” says Marta Moreno, Director of Corporate Affairs and market access at AstraZeneca. Spain.

Very heterogeneous symptoms

Lupus is a disease with very heterogeneous symptoms, meaning there are many barriers to diagnosing and treating the disease. Due to the different manifestations, every patient has different experiences with the disease, both at the time of diagnosis and in everyday life. That’s why Pilar, Ana, Cristóbal, Nuria and Nichole shared their personal experiences to help other patients feel better understood and recognize their own symptoms and feelings in others. In the videos, they offer messages of hope and advice for everyday life: “I would tell a person who has recently been diagnosed with lupus that there are many things in the world and in life that you can do with lupus and that “You can achieve almost the same goal” as the rest of the people,” explains Cristóbal.

From FELUPUS they appreciate this initiative to make known the daily life of people suffering from this disease. “It is very important for us that our needs as lupus patients are taken into account as we live chronically with this disease. For this reason, we call for better knowledge of the disease and measures to improve its management,” demands Silvia Pérez Ortega, President of FELUPUS.

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The multidisciplinary approach: unmet needs

Experts assure that there are still unmet needs among patients with lupus. “Delayed diagnosis is a common complaint due to variability in clinical presentation. In this sense, the work of the family doctor is very important, so we believe that a coordinated collaboration with him, with training to identify key symptoms, the development of action protocols and rapid referral routes, is the best answer to this need, “explains Dr. José Luis Callejas from the Systemic Diseases Department of the Internal Medicine Service of the University Hospital of San Cecilio in Granada.

To improve diagnosis and treatment of the disease, experts agree that multidisciplinary teams are needed. “All physicians are important in the approach to lupus. “I couldn’t exclude any specialty because pathology has as many clinical manifestations as there are medical specialties,” explains Dr. Callejas. In this sense, he adds: “The internist plays a key role in the treatment of all medical aspects of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases in general and systemic lupus erythematosus in particular.” These medical aspects include not only the diagnosis, treatment and clinical monitoring of patients with lupus, but also other problems arising both from the activity of the disease itself and from the side effects of the treatments.”

Experienced specialist

Dr. For her part, Lozano explains: “It is recommended that the patient consult a doctor with experience in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of people with SLE.” This specialist must assume the responsibility of directing, deciding and coordinating the treatment of the disease. The rheumatologist has very important tasks such as confirming the diagnosis, assessing the activity and severity of the disease, drawing up a general therapeutic plan, coordinating with other specialists if necessary, preventing and treating possible toxicity of the drugs used, as well as assessing the patient certain circumstances such as pregnancy, operations or intercurrent illnesses.”

Finally, experts and patients agree that research is needed to improve disease management and patients’ daily lives. “A better knowledge of the mechanisms that cause the disease will help us understand aspects that are still unclear, which will allow us to explore new treatments to control the disease and thus try to reduce hospitalizations and life expectancy and improve the quality of life of our patients.” “Patients,” concludes Dr. Lozano.

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