Memphis native and R&B singer K. Michelle revealed on Twitter that she was recently diagnosed with Lupus, but gratefully, received a negative result during a follow-up visit.
“I was devastated for 2 weeks…but my body was tired, my mind was just beat down. My [follow-up] results from the doctor came again as a dormant or negative. So, I fell 2 my knees to praise.”
And K. Michelle is not alone. It has been estimated that lupus affects 1.5 million Americans, and millions more worldwide.
Lupus is an unpredictable and misunderstood autoimmune disease that ravages different parts of the body. It is difficult to diagnose, hard to live with and a challenge to treat. Lupus has a range of symptoms, strikes without warning, and has no known cause and no known cure. Its health effects can range from a skin rash to a heart attack.
The majority of people with lupus—90 percent—are female, and most first develop signs and symptoms of the illness between the ages of 15 and 44. As adults, far fewer males than females develop lupus.
An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 of the 1.5 million Americans with lupus are diagnosed while under the age of 18.
African-American women are three times more likely than Caucasian women to get lupus and develop severe symptoms, with as many as 1 in every 250 affected.
And the disease is two times more prevalent in Asian-American and Latina women than it is in Caucasian women.
African-Americans and Latinas with lupus tend to develop the disease earlier in life, experience greater disease activity such as kidney problems, and, overall, have more complications than Caucasian patients.
Still, the K. Michelle’s dreams of carrying her own children vanished when her doctor further explained her fertility issues.
“Then [I got] a call from my OBGYN saying that if I have twins they would not be full term because of my size and health. Literally I was so broken.”
The former Love & Hip Hop star initially placed blame on herself, believing God was punishing her for having an abortion several years ago.
Despite the sad news, the powerful vocalist was overwhelmed with joy when a doctor called saying they found the “perfect surrogate” to carry her twins.
Thankfully, she received a call from her doctors yesterday who confirmed that they had found a surrogate match! If you remember, K. Michelle exclusively revealed to us last Fall that she and her fiancé Dr. Kastan Sims were seeking a surrogate to carry twin girls.
“Two weeks of what felt like my world was crumbling, today we got a call that they really found the perfect surrogate for us,” says K. “I’m about to watch the most beautiful process and that’s bringing two healthy little girls in the world. That’s all that matters to me. God works.”
There are substantial racial disparities in the burden of lupus, according to data from the largest and most far-reaching study ever conducted on the disease and published online today by the journal, Arthritis and Rheumatism. The data also confirms that black females disproportionately are burdened by lupus, a devastating and complicated autoimmune disease.
“Black women had very high rates of lupus, with an incidence rate in Georgia nearly three times higher than that for white women, with significantly high rates in the 30-39 age group,” said principal investigator, S. Sam Lim, MD, MPH, associate professor in the Division of Rheumatology at Emory University School of Medicine. “These are young women in the prime of their careers, family and fertility. This means a severely compromised future, with a disease that waxes and wanes, affecting every aspect of daily living for the rest of their lives.”
For more information on natural remedies for lupus, click here.
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