Lupus Flares: Is There Such a Thing as Normal?

With lupus flares, atypical is the norm In looking at our survey results, it’s hard for people to tell how long a flare will last. Part of that difficulty comes from understanding exactly what a lupus flare is. There are infographics on the internet and top 10 lists of lupus flare signs, many of which are aspects of measurable disease activity scales. But, as Dr. Jamal Mikdashi and Dr. Ola Nived wrote in their 2015 article: Measuring lupus disease activity accurately remains a challenging and demanding task given the complex multi-system nature of lupus, an illness known for its variability between patients and within the same patient over time. Researchers work to find truly equatable measures of disease activity to help make comparisons of treatment effectiveness. And, these measures can then be defined as “end points” for clinical trials – which are clearly defined clinical goals. Clearly, lupus flares are complicated and diverse in nature and per person. For insights from top lupus bloggers into some effective strategies for coping with flares, see our article on Managing Lupus Flares.

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