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Like migraines, Lupus headaches are sensitive to light, sound, and motion, can last anywhere from 12 to 72 hours, and are often accompanied by vomiting, blue lips, and vertigo. Migraine and lupus headaches are much more severe than the average tension or sinus headache, resulting from the dilation of cerebral blood vessels, but the cause is unknown. Such headaches are particularly common in patients with the Anticoagulant Syndrome and Raynaud's Phenomenom. The instability in the dilating and constricting of blood vessels may result from a defect in local autonomic nervous system control. The one major difference which sets Lupus headaches apart from non-lupus migraines is their responsiveness to steroids. While taking Prednisone, lupus patients report a dramatic decrease or even elimination of headaches.
Headaches are but one of the many neurological manifestations found in SLE. Central Nervous System (CNS) involvment may stop at headaches and fogged memory, or it can escalate to psychosis, seizures, and comma. These cases are far less common and most experience problems somewhere in the mid-range.
Such reports from undiagnosed lupus patients as headaches, difficutly concentrating, depression, anxiety attacks, "nervousness", and insomnia only increases the chances of being given anti-depressant medications and referred for psychological treatment. In addition, hormonal changes and emotional stress activate the immune system, triggering a flare of the disease. Therefore, the week preceding menstration, in which the female body under-goes hormonal changes, as well as emotionally-upsetting occurances in the patient's life can bring about actual physiological illnesses, which are often minimized as mere PMS or an inability to cope with stress. However, these are very real, neurological symptoms of SLE.
One of the most over-looked symptoms in SLE is anxiety attacks -- or, "panic attacks", often coupled with Agoriphobia and Claustrophobia. It is interesting to note that a great many reported cases indicated problems especially while driving or riding in vehicles, as well as occurances in public places. These individuals commonly experience light-headedness and vertigo. Differing from dizziness, vertigo is not limited to a "spinning" sensation, but includes any type of moving sensation, such as floating, falling, horizontal movement, or vibrating sensations. Panic attacks are a sudden, unrealistic sense of impending doom which occurs for no appearent reason. The body's natural "fight or flight" response is triggered, in which extra adrenalin is released for combating threatening situations. The heart pounds, pulse races, thoughts speed dramatically, and the person usually experiences nausea and/or diarrhea, brought on by a sense of immediate danger, though no danger is present. The two prevalent thoughts which occur in every victim's mind are, "I am dying or going crazy." These episodes seem to come on without provocation, though the patient generally finds some occurance in their life which they blame for these episodes, thus labeling them as "post-traumatic stress disorder". In the cases where SLE is found, these attacks are actually manifestations of Autonomic Nervous System involvement, and are similar to simple seizures, rather than psychological instablity.
Both, the Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Nervous System can be affected by SLE.
* Motor Nerves: controlling muscle strength and movement. (see Peripheral Neuropathy below)
* Autonomic Nerves: regulates adrenalin release, the tone of local blood vessels, and muscular contractions. These nerves control our "fight or flight" responses to stress, including sweating, bladder and bowel functions, slow or rapid breathing and heart rate, feelings of hot and cold, and burning sensations.
"Panic" or "Anxiety" Attacks, as described earlier in this section, are caused in Lupus patients by impaired autonomic nerves. Inadequately studied in SLE, these problems cause more emotional distress to the patient than any other symptoms of the disease.
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