Have you been searching for Conroe TX best rheumatologist for lupus? Then you don’t need to search any longer because Advanced Rheumatology has your back. They have everything you need to live a more comfortable and healthy life. Dr. Brionez is one of the best rheumatologists in the Houston area. Her patients love her for her expertise and compassion when helping them with their conditions. She sincerely cares about what her patients are facing and does all that she can to make sure they get the right treatment.
Rheumatologic illnesses can cause major disruptions in a person’s life. Many rheumatologic illnesses are chronic and don’t have a cure at this time. However, there are plenty of them that have effective treatments that allow patients to live fulfilling lives. It is important to find a qualified doctor who can help you through your condition. Dr. Brionez has earned her Bachelors from Texas A&M University in Nutritional Science. Then she went on to get her Doctor of Medicine medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. She then completed her Fellowship in Rheumatology at the University of Texas Health Science Center.
After that, she became board certified in 2007 for internal medicine and then became board-certified in 2009 in rheumatology. Ever since then, she has been in practice. Get an appointment with Dr. Brionez and start to enjoy your life again. When you are faced with lupus, it is important to have a doctor that will support you every step of the way. Advanced Rheumatology of Houston has kind, compassionate staff that will make sure you are well cared for. You won’t regret choosing them to be your Conroe TX best rheumatologist for lupus.
About Lupus and Symptoms
Lupus’ full name is systemic lupus erythematosus, and its acronym is SLE. SLE or lupus is an autoimmune disorder that causes systemic inflammation of organs and joints. In its severe cases, it can affect the healthy tissues of the heart, lungs, brain, and kidneys. With more mild cases, it can affect the joints; however, mild forms of lupus are still painful and largely impact a person’s daily life.
Although lupus can affect men, it mostly affects women, and twenty percent of patients are children and teens. With rarer forms of lupus, it can develop in children under the age of five. This form of lupus is called childhood-onset SLE.
An autoimmune disease is one where your immune system attacks the healthy tissues of the body. They are also hard to diagnose. Lupus is challenging to diagnose for multiple reasons. The first reason is that it can be different from person to person. No two patients experience it the same way. Another reason it is difficult to diagnose is that many symptoms aren’t specific to lupus. Some of these symptoms are:
- weight loss
- poor circulation in fingers and toes
- fatigue
- stomach pain
- hair loss
- heartburn
- blood clots
- fever
Many of these symptoms could stem from another disease; however, these aren’t the only symptoms of lupus. The American College of Rheumatology has a list of symptoms that are used as a guide to diagnosing lupus. The symptoms on this list are:
Rashes
You could experience a small variety of rashes when dealing with lupus. Some of these rashes are malar rashes, discoid rashes, and rashes from sunlight. Malar rashes are butterfly-shaped rash on the cheeks, and a discoid rash is a rash that has red raised circular patches. Lupus is also known to flare up from sun exposure, which is why a rash could appear when your skin is exposed to sunlight.
Mouth Sores
These are sores in the nose or the mouth, which will last a few days to a month.
Arthritis
This is a disease of the joints. It can cause tenderness and swelling in two or more joints in the body that will last for a few weeks. You can also experience arthritis without having lupus. There are different forms of arthritis; two of them are rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. If you or someone you know is dealing with arthritis, whether it is from lupus or not, you should contact Advanced Rheumatology of Houston. Rheumatologists can diagnose and treat arthritis, helping you to live a pain-free life.
Lung or Heart Inflammation
You will be able to feel this one because you will feel chest pain whenever you breathe deeply. The medical terms for inflammation of the heart and lungs are pleurisy or pleuritis (lungs) or pericarditis (heart).
Neurologic Problems
A neurologic problem is a problem having to do with your nervous system. These problems can include psychosis, seizures, or strokes.
Kidney Problems
Doctors can find kidney problems through tests that will show kidney function. If these tests show poor kidney function, then you will know that you have a problem. Another way to tell if you may have a kidney problem is if you have blood or protein in your urine.
Abnormal Blood Tests
A common way to diagnose lupus is to run blood tests. This is because there are a few common abnormalities in lupus patients. One of these is positive antinuclear antibodies, which are found in nearly all lupus patients. These antibodies are what is responsible for your immune system attack itself. When these are present, then there is a high probability that an autoimmune disease is present as well. There are other abnormalities that you could have with lupus as well, such as anemia, low white blood cell counts, and low platelets. You could also have anti-Smith, anti-double-strand DNA, or antiphospholipid antibodies. All of these can be signs of lupus.
Since lupus can be challenging to diagnose, doing blood tests is the best way to be sure. The most important blood test to run for lupus is an ANA. Once you have the diagnosis, then you can begin treating the disease. While lupus doesn’t have a cure at this time and is a chronic disease, that doesn’t mean you have to live in pain.
There are treatments available that will help keep lupus in remission. When lupus is in remission, you will have fewer symptoms and be able to live a more normal life. The treatment for lupus will improve your quality of life and increase lifespan. Take your life back by calling Advanced Rheumatology of Houston to be your Conroe TX best rheumatologist for lupus.
Conroe TX best rheumatologist for lupus
Contact Advanced Rheumatology at (281) 766-7886 to set up an appointment. You can also learn more about Dr. Brionez and her practice by checking out her services and visiting her location. Allow Advanced Rheumatology of Houston to be your Conroe TX best rheumatologist for lupus.
Conroe Texas Fun Facts
- Conroe TX was first settled in the 1800s
- 22,000 acres of Conroe belongs to Lake Conroe
- The first city hall was established in 1920
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