Activist denounces that lupus continues to be an invisible disease in Mexico

An activist denounced, a few days before World Health Day Lupus -a disease of immune origin, chronic degenerative and potentially fatal-, which continues to be an invisible condition in Mexico, by not guaranteeing a timely diagnosis, not having a patient registry, or recognizing it in the list of rare diseases.

“It is a disease that is not counted in our country, we are not on the list of catastrophic diseases or rare diseases and there is no national census that allows us to know how many women, how many men, of what ages and where the patients. That is to say, it is invisible”, Laura Athié, a lupus patient, told EFE.

Within the framework of World Lupus Day, which is commemorated every May 10, the president of the Center for Transdisciplinary Studies, Athié-Calleja for the rights of people with lupus, explained that this condition faces many challenges in Mexico.

Among them, he pointed out, is the lack of timely diagnosis, which is exacerbated due to the characteristics of the disease.

“That is why it is known as the mask disease, because it does not work the same in one person as in another, because it is a multisystem disease”he expressed.

Lupus is a chronic disease, which mainly affects women and is caused by the attack of the immune system itself: the body produces antibodies that damage the body, with various effects, such as problems in the joints, kidneys, skin or in the heart.

In Mexico, Athié pointed out, in addition to the lack of prompt diagnosis, there is also a lack of specialist doctors who care for this disease.

“Rheumatology doctors, who are the specialists for the care of this disease, there are very few in the country, there are less than 800 and they are located in the main cities”he pointed.

This, despite the fact that it is estimated that 20 out of every 100,000 people in Mexico suffer from lupus.

Athié explained that another barrier is the lack of knowledge and non-specificity of the symptoms of this disease, since many times “We let them pass.”

“Therefore, invisibility is sometimes at home. Sometimes we have a son, a daughter who doesn’t want to stop and we think that she is lazy, but maybe she is really exhausted.”he explained.

Importance of having a census

The woman explained that Mexico still lacks a census to know how many people suffer from lupus in the country, which is important not only to establish public policies regarding the disease, but also to be clear about its prevalence. “because what we have now is not ours, but from the Latin American region.”

He also said that patients fight to eradicate discrimination against them, since many times, due to their symptoms, they are fired from their jobs or abandoned by their families, which is why they are promoting a bill in this regard.

“It is a bill that is currently in the plenary session of the Mexican Congress and that basically seeks a national census and an end to discrimination,” he explained.

The activist announced that this Saturday they will carry out walks in different cities in Mexico to show that people with lupus are capable of doing things when they receive what is necessary to cope with the disease, in addition to a forum in Monterrey from May 23 to 25 to talk and listen. the voices of patients.

“The call is to observe, accompany, understand that people with lupus are also productive, they are maternal, they create projects, they work, they dream, they move, they achieve things. Let’s start walking together towards a full guarantee of health for people with lupus.”he concluded.

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