June 24, 2021

Men’s Health Month is the time to remind ourselves or the men in our lives to take stock of their physical and emotional wellbeing.  Paying attention to symptoms you might rather ignore is the intent behind recognizing this month.

While 90% of people with lupus are female, 10% are males – the reason why is the focus of work LRA has funded with a grant to Dr. Laura Carrel at Penn State University. Men can experience more severe effects.  For instance, damage to the kidneys, brain and heart are more common in men.[i] So while lupus may not be the first diagnosis doctors think of when a teenage boy or young man complains of common symptoms like fatigue, skin rashes, joint pain and/or unexplained fevers, recognizing these as possible signs may save a life.

Here’s what three men who are part of the Lupus Research Alliance community want to share with their peers:

My advice for men who have Lupus or think they may have Lupus is to see a doctor who specializes in lupus diagnosis and treatment. Also, reach out to the Lupus Research Alliance which has many resources that can be beneficial to lupus patients.  Michael Luria

As men, we normally shrug symptoms off, but with lupus it can be a life-or-death situation like it nearly was for me. Get checked out before it is too late. Enrico Costabile

The best advice I could give to other men is that if you think you have Lupus get tested and educate yourself about the disease. Living with Lupus is very possible if you get treatment early. Timothy Johnson