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DAYTON UMADAOP SEEKS TO EDUCATE THOSE ON ‘THE GREAT IMITATOR’

e Dayton UMADAOP has received a $15,000 mini-grant from the Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE) LEAP National Program to provide lupus education and awareness in the community. Lupus, a dicult disease to diagnose, is more prevalent in African-Americans than in Caucasians, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

“THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS HAVE BEEN WITH HER SINCE SHE WAS 13.” - DAYTON UMADAOP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARKETA ROBINSON

The Great Imitator Lupus has been referred to as “the great imitator,” because its symptoms so closely mimic those of other diseases, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. Symptoms of lupus can include inammation, meaning pain, heat, redness, swelling, or loss of function at a particular part of the body, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. Dayton UMADAOP Executive Director Marketa Robinson has experience with lupus. Her nearly 40-year-old sister was recently diagnosed with lupus. “e signs and symptoms have been with her since she was 13,” Robinson says. Robinson’s sister would often experience a buttery type rash across her nose as well as unexplainable fatigue. Robinson says she thought the rash was a birth mark.

After learning more about lupus, however, Robinson says they learned a buttery type rash — especially across the face — can be a sign of lupus. Lupus occurs when a body’s immune system attacks its own organs, according to the Mayo Clinic. Inammation can aect dierent types of body systems including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs, according to the Mayo Clinic. Substance use/misuse can become a factor due to self medicating to relieve recurring symptoms and can make lupus even more dicult to diagnose, Robinson says. A patient might notice they often feel fatigued or suer hair loss. A client might attribute these symptoms to their substance abuse, not realizing the underlying cause. e Lupus Foundation of America estimates that 1.5 million Americans live with lupus.

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