The stronger the immune system, the better? Not necessarily! Be careful of this "immortal cancer"!

Not long ago, #13-year-old girl suffers from lupus and suffers from mental abnormalities# became a hot topic on Weibo!

Image source: Screenshot from Weibo

This 13-year-old girl from Ningde, Fujian, was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus two years ago and lost 20 kilograms in a month. Her mother said that her daughter also developed complications and mental disorders during her illness, and sometimes she was so miserable that she wanted to commit suicide... Many netizens in the comment area encouraged the girl.

Image source: Screenshot from Weibo

So what is lupus? What are the symptoms? Let’s take a look.

01

Systemic lupus erythematosus is called the "immortal cancer"

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a typical autoimmune connective tissue disease, which is more common in women of childbearing age 15 to 40 years old. Children can also develop the disease. It is known as one of the three most difficult diseases in the world. It is characterized by chronicity, recurring attacks, and incurability.

Most lupus patients will have facial rashes and erythema. The more typical rash is distributed on both sides of the cheeks and nose bridge, and is shaped like a butterfly with spread wings. Therefore, it is called "butterfly erythema", which is one of the characteristic manifestations of lupus.

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Current research believes that it is the result of the combined effects of genetic factors, environmental factors (such as ultraviolet rays, viral infections, drugs, biological products, blood products, etc.), abnormal sex hormones, injuries caused by pregnancy and childbirth, social psychology, etc. Because the disease is difficult to cure, requires long-term treatment, and patients suffer for a long time, it is called "immortal cancer" by the medical community.

Childhood SLE (cSLE) is defined as disease onset before the age of 18, accounting for about 20% of all SLE cases. In recent years, the incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus in children has increased significantly.

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Compared with adults, children with SLE have a more rapid onset, more severe condition, and longer course of disease. When they develop the disease, they often show the following symptoms:

1. Systemic symptoms : fatigue, mental atrophy, persistent fever, weight loss, anorexia. Fatigue is a very common but easily overlooked symptom of SLE in children, and is often a precursor to lupus activity.

2. Rash : Rash is the most common manifestation of lupus, mostly facial lesions, and may be accompanied by erythema on the tips of fingers and toes or frostbite lesions.

3. Visceral damage : Kidney damage is the most common, often manifested as hematuria and proteinuria. It can also affect the lungs and cause SLE pneumonia, and affect the heart and cause pericarditis and myocarditis.

Lupus nephritis is one of the most common complications of systemic lupus erythematosus and one of the main causes of death from the disease.

02

Higher immunity is not necessarily better

Now that we know how terrible systemic lupus erythematosus is, we have to talk about the human immune system.

1. Scientifically understand the human immune system

The immune system is like a country's defense system, which is mainly responsible for protecting the health of our body. It can defend against infection, monitor and kill malignant tumor cells, etc. Like a country's defense system, the immune system is composed of specialized "military institutions" (immune organs), different types of "combat troops" (immune cells), "military weapons" (immune molecules) and natural "border barriers" (skin, mucous membranes).

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2. Too strong immunity

If the immune function is too strong, immune cells will attack non-pathogenic factors from the outside world (such as pollen, hair, etc.), causing allergic reactions.

In severe cases, immune cells may even mistakenly attack their own normal tissues and organs, causing autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome, multiple sclerosis, glomerulonephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

Interestingly, the immune system is different for men and women because it is affected by endocrine system factors, and women are more susceptible to certain autoimmune diseases.

3. Weakened immunity

The "security system" that should be working is resting, and no one is managing the "bad guys" that should be eliminated. At this time, the body is prone to various diseases caused by viruses or bacteria, such as viral colds.

Tumors are also formed under a similar mechanism: tumor cells are very smart. They will produce some substances that make the "police" monitoring them fall asleep. When no one is watching, they will grow without restraint.

For a long time, the mainstream view is that the increase in cancer incidence with age is due to the increase in gene mutations. However, a paper published abroad puts forward a different speculation: the decline of the immune system is the primary cause of the increase in cancer incidence.

03

How to protect immunity in daily life?

The combat effectiveness of the human immune system changes with age. The immune system develops fastest during adolescence, reaches its peak around the age of 25, and slowly declines after the age of 30. People of different age groups face different "immune crises" and have different coping methods.

1. Supplement multivitamins and minerals

Many people tend to think that supplementing with vitamin C is enough, but in fact this is far from enough. In addition to vitamin C, we also need vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin D, zinc, selenium and other vitamins and minerals to build immune health. Therefore, it is more recommended to supplement with multivitamins and minerals.

2. Eat more protein

Protein is the most basic nutrition for enhancing immunity. Many experts have repeatedly suggested that eating more protein-rich foods is necessary to improve immunity. Protein is the main raw material for immune cells and antibodies. It can also promote muscle synthesis and help fight fatigue. Therefore, if you want to have a strong immunity, sufficient supplementation of high-quality protein is essential.

Follow the recommendations of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)", ensure food diversity, eat more fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and soy; eat fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat in moderation; eat less salt, less oil, control sugar, and limit alcohol.

3. Increase your daily exercise

You should exercise moderately, quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption, and adjust your mentality. Regular and moderate-intensity exercise can increase the number of immune cells in the peripheral blood and enhance the ability to clear viruses. At the same time, it can enhance the body's immune function. However, exercise should be moderate and scientific.

4. Go outside and get some sun

Sunlight not only makes people feel better, but also helps reduce the risk of autoimmune diseases. It is recommended to sunbathe 2 to 3 times a day, each time for about 15 minutes.

The World Health Organization recommends that adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week. Those who do less than this standard are considered to be insufficiently physically active.

5. Get enough sleep

Sleep can restore spirit and relieve fatigue. Sufficient sleep, balanced diet and proper exercise are three health standards recognized by the international community. Insomnia can affect a person's immune system. The occurrence of many diseases is related to the body's immune ability.

The Healthy China Action Plan (2019-2030) clearly states that "long-term lack of sleep increases the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, depression, diabetes and obesity, and impairs cognitive function, memory and the immune system."

6. Learn to release stress

The pressure caused by psychological stress will affect immunity. After psychological stress causes pressure, the physiology will adjust its response dynamics, which to a certain extent helps the body to resist pressure, restore internal stability, and maintain immunity; it may also be called the physiological basis for physical diseases under long-term stress, resulting in low immunity and susceptibility to diseases.

Author: Sun Songsong, Master of Biopharmaceuticals from Jilin University

Review | Tao Ning Associate Researcher, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

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