Lupus Flares: How to Care for Your Child

Kids with lupus can sometimes have flares, when the body's immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake. Flares can be mild or severe. Follow these instructions to help your child feel better and make future flares less likely.

• If the health care professional prescribed medicines, give them to your child as directed.

• Check with the health care professional before giving your child any other medicines. If your child needs pain medicines, find out which ones are safe.

• Encourage your child to be active. Exercise keeps muscles strong and can give your child more energy. If a flare makes it hard to be active, ask your health care professional for simple exercises your child can do.

• Help your child eat a healthy diet. Avoid foods like garlic and alfalfa, which may make flares more likely.

• Help your child to relax and get enough rest. Stress and lack of sleep can lead to lupus flares.

• Help your child avoid smoking and drug use. They make flares more likely.

• The sun can lead to a lupus flare. Your child should always use sunscreen.

• Teens who have sex should talk to the health care professional about what type of birth control is best for them. Girls who get pregnant during a lupus flare can have serious health problems.

• Encourage your child to talk about feelings. Lupus flares can be upsetting. Talking to a therapist or other mental health professional may help.

Your child:

• Has a new or high fever.

• Seems to feel worse.

• Develops new swelling, a rash, mouth sores, pain, vomiting, or other symptoms.

• Begins bruising or bleeding easily.

• Has trouble drinking fluids or is eating less than usual.

• Feels better but then starts having signs of another flare.

Your child:

• Has pain when breathing or is short of breath.

• Has sudden, severe chest pain that does not go away after a few minutes.

• Has a seizure.

• Seems dehydrated. Signs include dizziness, drowsiness, a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, crying with few or no tears, or peeing less.

What is a lupus flare? A lupus flare happens because the body's immune system makes a mistake and attacks healthy cells as if they are dangerous germs. When the immune system launches an attack like this, it can make a person feel sick.

What are signs of a lupus flare? A lupus flare can make someone feel ill and cause problems such as:

• fever

• tiredness or weakness

• rashes

• mouth sores

• pain, such as headaches, belly pain, chest pain, and joint pain

• swelling in the face, hands, feet, or legs

• nausea or throwing up

• brown pee

• seizures

Sometimes you can't tell when a child is having a lupus flare. That's why kids with lupus need regular checkups to find and treat problems.

How are lupus flares treated? Health care professionals often prescribe steroid medicines for lupus flares. These medicines help calm the immune system so it stops attacking healthy cells. (Steroid medicines are not the same steroids that athletes sometimes take.)

If a lupus flare causes pain or other problems, health care professionals will treat those too.

Can my child get another flare? Yes, it's possible. It's not always clear what causes lupus flares. That means you can't stop every flare from happening. Your health care professional can give you advice on how to avoid some of the things that might bring on another flare.