'We Are Susceptible To Anything And Everything': Lupus Patients Having Especially Difficult Time During Pandemic
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Friday was "Put On Purple Day" to raise awareness for lupus. People with the mysterious disease are having an especially difficult time this year with the coronavirus because they're at an increased risk for infection.
Lupus is difficult to diagnose and often misunderstood. Doctors say it's a more pervasive and severe disease than many realize.
Now with COVID-19 circulating, lupus patients have to be especially careful.
"I am called the 'Purple Lady' because I wear purple every single day," Philadelphia Lupus Foundation's Cheri Perron said.
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Perron, who's had lupus for almost 30 years, says this year's purple day is especially tough because of the pandemic. COVID-19 can be deadly for people with autoimmune diseases.
"We are susceptible to anything and everything," she said.
Perron, who lives in East Oak Lane, says lupus attacks different parts of the body, causing a wide range of symptoms.
"Lupus is unpredictable. I could go to bed like last night, feeling fine and wake up this morning and not be able to get out of the bed because of joint pain, because of fever," Perron said.
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Perron says people with lupus are often advised to limit exposure to germs, so they're used to masks and social distancing. But staying safe now is scary and challenging.
"In the very beginning, I was very, very anxious and did not want to set foot outside of my home," Perron said.
The primary treatment for lupus is the drug hydroxychloroquine, which was initially touted as a potential treatment for COVID-19 that's caused a shortage of the drug.
"In the process of trying to find the drug to help with COVID-19, it created a health crisis for those of us living with lupus," Perron said. "It really sent a lot of us in a tailspin when we were not able to get the drug. Even now, I think there's still some difficulty getting the drug."
There is no cure for lupus. That's why the treatment medications are so important. Also, doctors don't know what causes lupus or why it's more prevalent among African American women.
For more information on the Lupus Foundation of America's Philadelphia Tri-State chapter, click here.
