Lupus increases the risk of dementia

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own healthy cells. It is thought to be caused by genetic and environmental factors. Environmental factors can trigger attacks or 'flare ups. 'Flare ups vary from person to person and are not the same each time. They can be marked by fatigue that can be mild or debilitating. Fatigue is often an early indicator that an attack is about to set in.

Attacks can cause joint and muscle pain and swelling, particularly at the wrists, hands, elbows, knees and ankles. Many people with lupus experience skin problems. The most distinctive marker of lupus is a butterfly-shaped rash on the face. Lupus may also cause light sensitivity, fever, changes in weight and swollen glands. People with lupus sometimes complain of a 'fog,' that can feel like depression or anxiety and sometimes causes them to have difficulty focusing and expressing themselves.

It causes the body’s immune system to break cells in parts of the body including the kidneys, lungs, skin and blood vessels. Lupus may impair memory and cognitive functions. Researchers analyzed data from more than 7,000 people and found that dementia was far more common among people with dementia than those without the disease. Lupus is best known for the damage it does to the kidneys, but its symptoms can be extremely varied, making it very difficult to diagnose.

Experts have identified numerous forms of the disease, including nineteen variations of neuropsychiatric lupus, which affects the central nervous system, including cognitive and memory functions and can even cause psychological and psychiatric symptoms. Some patients refer to a ‘lupus fog,’ a catchall description of the experience of difficulty concentrating, remembering facts, and expressing oneself.

The fog can also come with depression and anxiety, all of which may signal a lupus flare up. Patients who do not have a neuropsychiatric form of lupus are at a greater risk of dementia. Steroids are also associated with memory loss and cognitive impairment in lupus patients.
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Fever in pregnancy increases risk of autism

Fever during pregnancy may raise the risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the child. The effect was high in the second trimester, raising odds for ASD by 40 percent.

Risk of an ASD was increased by over 300 percent for the children of women reporting three or more fevers after four months of pregnancy.

The researchers followed 95,754 children born between 1999 and 2009, including 583 cases of ASD identified in Norway through the Autism Birth Cohort (ABC) Study.

Mothers of 15,701 children (16 percent) reported fever in one or more four-week intervals throughout pregnancy, similar to rates reported in the U.S. ASD risk was increased by 34 percent when mothers reported fever at any time during pregnancy, and by 40 percent in the second trimester.

The risk increased in a dose-dependent fashion from 1.3-fold with one or two fever episodes after the twelfth prenatal week to 3.12-fold with three or more.

Gestational maternal infection and innate immune responses to infection in the onset of  pregnancy can increase some cases of autism spectrum disorder.

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Facts about Zika virus

Zika virus is a mosquito- borne illness that is spread by the Aedes species of mosquito.

Aedes albopictus, known as the Asian tiger mosquito, and the Aedes Aegyptus, known as the yellow fever mosquito are responsible for Zika virus.

The Zika virus was first identified in monkeys, in Uganda in 1947. The first human cases were detected in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania in 1952.

Presently, there is no treatment for the virus. Avoiding mosquito bites is the major prevention method against Zika virus.

Signs and symptoms of Zika virus are vague and can last for up to 1 week. Diagnosis of the virus is typically confirmed with a blood test.

Major Zika virus cases occur in tropical regions, such as Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and French Guiana.

Currently, there is no treatment for  Zika. People living with the virus must
increase their body fluid to prevent
dehydration, relieving pain and fever with acetaminophen.

 CDC advised pregnant women who are diagnosed with Zika to go for monitoring of fetal growth and anatomy program every 3-4 weeks.

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Previous exposure to flaviviruses can enhance effects of Zika

Flavivirus is a group of related viruses, some of them are West Nile virus, dengue virus, yellow fever virus, Zika virus and others.

A new study that used human samples tested in mice discovered that prior infection with any flavivirus can increase the chance of Zika infection.

Exposure to one of these virus leads to more disease when exposed to related virus. Zika is spreading very fast in regions that is prone to other flaviviruses.

Human antibodies were transferred from infected human to mice to expose them to Zika virus.

The mice not giving antibodies survived Zika infection while those that received infected human antibodies did not.

How HIV affects the immune system

Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus that causes HIV and later AIDS. Early signs of HIV are: fever, joint pain, sore throat and skin rashes.

A T-cell is a type of lymphocyte - white blood cell that defend the body against disease, HIV infects a cell by attaching itself to T-cell, multiplies its virus and destroy the T-cell.

CD4 count shows the strength of one's immune system which is between 500 1500 for healthy people, being infected with HIV without treatment will reduce the count below 200.

 HIV  exposes the infected person to opportunistic  infections like: pneumonia, toxoplasmosis, thrush, and tuberculosis.

Presently, there is no cure for HIV. Antiretroviral therapy is recommended for people living with HIV virus.

Common side effects of Antiretroviral drugs are: glucose intolerance, kidney failure, hepatitis of the liver, insulin resistance, osteoporosis, anemia and inflamed pancreas.