Brain Symptoms, Brain Fog, and Lupus
Brain symptoms are the least acknowledged and most misunderstood symptoms of lupus. But over 50% of patients experience some sort of brain symptom in the course of their disease.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms happen when lupus affects the brain, spinal cord, or any of the other systems of nerves in the body. The symptoms can show up in many different ways, but what all of the symptoms have in common is that they can influence almost every aspect of a person’s life. Given how prevalent they are and their effects, it’s hard to believe how infrequently doctors consider these symptoms a priority. People with lupus who have neurological symptoms might find themselves disbelieved or, at best, believed but not helped.
Symptoms of Lupus in the Brain
Brain-based symptoms of lupus can be complicated to diagnose, are often subtle, and can be easily ignored. Some of the most notable symptoms of lupus in the brain include:
Frequent Headaches
Seizures and Fits
Vision Problems such as Blurriness or Vision Loss
Sudden and Unexplained Mood and Behavior Changes
Fatigue and Brain Fog
Depression and Anxiety
The problem is that all of these symptoms can have causes other than lupus – or be caused by the stress and exhaustion that comes from living with a chronic illness like lupus. You can read more about the symptoms here.
Many of these brain and nervous system symptoms are not fully understood, either, especially the symptom known as “Brain Fog.”
Brain Fog and Lupus
“Brain fog” is the colloquial term for the difficulties that many people with lupus face with concentration, memory, and thinking. It is called such because it can feel like your brain is clogged with a thick fog, trying to move through molasses, or covered by a thick blanket. It is a very frustrating symptom, as your thoughts struggle to manifest and become actions, and it often takes extra effort to understand something or get a task done. You can read more about brain fog here.
Brain fog is an extremely common symptom of lupus, but often misunderstood by people not familiar with chronic illnesses. It can flare up like any other lupus symptom, but it can also be caused or exacerbated by fatigue, pain, and improper nutrition. It can also be a symptom of sleep deprivation, which can be caused by worry and pain.
How Does Lupus Attack the Brain?
Scientists currently believe that lupus attacks the brain through two different ways:
Through the Blood-Brain Barrier: Lupus disrupts the membrane that separates the blood supply of the brain from the delicate nervous system tissue of the brain itself. This barrier, called the blood-brain barrier, blocks hormones, chemicals, and other materials including immune system. Particles such as antibodies in the blood stream from affecting the brain.
Through the Bloodstream: Lupus can increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Additionally, it can interfere with proper blood flow by damaging blood vessels and causing rigid vessel walls, narrowing, and clots.
Certain medications, including Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause headaches, dizziness, and confusion, as well. Corticosteroids and antimalarials can cause agitation, confusion, mood swings, psychosis, and depression.
It is very important to make sure that the medication is not the issue, or that lupus isn’t masking or exacerbating a different health problem that might be causing the neurological symptoms.
Diagnosing Brain Symptoms of Lupus
MRIs and other brain imaging devices can detect damage, but usually lupus-related symptom are not actually brain damage, and so cannot be easily seen on an MRI. A lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap, can detect major potential issues that would show up in the cerebrospinal fluid. Most lupus-caused symptoms would not show up in such a test. However, these methods can find other issues that could be mistaken for lupus. Catching masked problems, such as infections, brain hemorrhage, cancers, and certain inflammatory conditions (such as MS and Guillain-Barre syndrome,) is vital and can save lives. So they are important tools in a Lupus Warrior’s arsenal if more serious issues are suspected.
Electroencephalograms, also known as EEGs, are much more effective at detecting lupus-related brain symptoms as they detect changes in brain activity.
Better, however, is observing the symptoms from the outside, as the person experiences them. Lupus-related symptoms come in many forms, but they do occur in patterns that a qualified psychiatrist can recognize.
Treating Brain Symptoms of Lupus
Medications that treat the symptoms of anxiety and depression are often prescribed. However, as with many other symptoms of lupus, taking care of your body with proper sleep, nutrition, exercise, and hydration can help bring down the symptoms greatly.