Without this defense system no one would live past infancy. In autoimmune disease, this system somehow becomes disordered, and an individual s immune system begins to attack his or her own tissues. In SLE, the abnormal antibodies are made by the immune system. This debris can cause irritation and inflammation in various places in the body.
Most patients experience swelling and pain in the joints, just as in rheumatoid arthritis.
Other symptoms may include fatigue, fever and chills, and headache. Internal organs, including the kidneys, may be involved. Rarely, the brain or spinal cord is attacked. When this happens, an individual may suffer epileptic seizures or personality changes. Such cases, fortunately, are very infrequent.