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The first new drug to treat lupus in a half century - and the first ever specifically developed to treat the autoimmune disorder - is heading to market in the United States. Under the trade name Benlysta, it is the first federally-approved drug to be derived from genomics, the study of genes and their functions. Eva Gaskin has been married for 17 years. But one day four years ago, she suddenly was unable to recognize her husband, and became convinced that he had killed her family. Doctors said these strange mental episodes were symptoms of lupus cerebritis, which caused inflammation in her brain tissues.
"I had anxiety. I had insomnia," says Gaskin. "I had lots of things going on that we really did not understand and that was very frightening for my family until I got on the proper treatment, and those kinds of issues started to subside. But at first it was very scary. The brain inflammation that made Eva see her husband as a stranger and a killer soon moved to her lungs, and her breathing became painful. Lupus is a potentially fatal disease. It develops when the body's protector cells stop differentiating between healthy cells and bacteria. As a result, the immune system starts attacking its own body instead of protecting it from bacteria, viruses and parasites.
Until now, lupus sufferers have treated their varied symptoms - from mental disorders to skin rashes and painful joints - with a combination of drugs, including painkillers, steroids and anti-malarial medicines. Aside from being insufficient, these treatments have also carried the risk of toxicity. But now, for the first time in 50 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Adminsitration has approved a new drug specifically to treat lupus. Its so exciting to see that a drug is coming out that targeted specifically for lupus patients because in the past we have been taking drugs that have been found helpful but not specifically for us, says Gaskin.
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The R&B performer says in a Tweet on Friday that she's been hospitalized because of "minor health issues" related to Lupus. A spokeswoman confirmed the hospitalization but had no other details. "But no worries!," Braxton wrote to fans. "I will be out any day now."
The 45-year-old singer of "Un-break My Heart" revealed two years ago she has Lupus, a potentially deadly autoimmune disease that killed Braxton's uncle. She also suffers from a narrowing of the blood vessels in her heart.
Braxton said in a recent "20/20" interview that doctors told her the Lupus diagnosis meant her performing career would likely be diminished and the disease helped push her into a recent bankruptcy.
Lupus forces singer Toni Braxton into LA hospital - Yahoo! News
