Our Philadelphia Lupus Disability Lawyers Help You Recover Disability Insurance Benefits

Lupus is a fairly common, chronic, autoimmune disease that can drastically impact a person’s quality of life, ability to attend to daily needs, and prevent them from working. As an autoimmune disease, lupus causes the body to attack healthy tissue, further weakening the body and resulting in disruption to regular activities.

Lupus is a long term disease affecting many people each year. Sufferers are subject to a host of symptoms that disrupt their lives including chronic pain and inflammation in skin, joints, and other organs.  Different types of lupus are classified according to how the disease manifests. 

Dealing with this disease can be a constant battle. Doctors and other medical professionals suffering from lupus may not be able to maintain their careers in the medical field due to the chronic nature of this disease and debilitating symptoms.

If you suffer from lupus and are unable to maintain your career in the medical profession, the Philadelphia lupus disability lawyers at Seltzer & Associates are ready to discuss your claim for disability insurance benefits.

Risk Factors and Causes of Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease with a variety of risk factors and causes. As an autoimmune disease, this means the body is essentially attacking itself. Lupus tends to occur more commonly in women and those of African, Asian, and Hispanic heritage. Some medications such as blood pressure medications, anti-seizure medications, and antibiotics may trigger lupus in certain individuals; typically these instances can be resolved when the medication is stopped. Those suffering from lupus can also experience periods with practically no symptoms, only to have a relapse which can be quite severe and debilitating and prevent them from practicing medicine.

Symptoms of Lupus in Medical Professionals

Lupus is classified according to the type of body tissues affected. Lupus commonly affects the skin tissues, bones, and joints, or internal organs. Common symptoms of lupus include:

  • Inflammation 
  • Pain and swelling in the limbs and extremities
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Headaches
  • Chest pain
  • Dry eyes
  • Headaches
  • Memory loss
  • Skin lesions and rashes

Symptoms are subject to change throughout the disease and can vary depending on the type of lupus. This can make diagnosing lupus difficult since the common symptoms point to a variety of other diseases. Common symptoms may also make it difficult for a physician or nurse to obtain a diagnosis due to the intense nature of their profession. Extreme fatigue follows after long, stressful shifts. Headaches and other signs of stress also manifest for more benign reasons in medical professionals as they handle high-stress work environments. Pain, swelling, and other inflammation can present after long hours spent on hospital shifts as well as other environmental factors.

Additional medical complications that arise from lupus and cause serious disruptions to medical careers include:

  • Kidney disease and damage that can become life-threatening; 
  • Inflammation of the heart and arteries, with the added risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease;
  • Inflammation and bleeding in the lungs; and 
  • Brain and central nervous system symptoms and complications, including stroke and seizure. 

Your healthcare provider will conduct tests to identify and diagnose lupus. In addition, keeping a thorough record that tracks your symptoms will help not only your own medical team but your Philadelphia lupus disability lawyers explain the severity of your condition and detail the limitations that keep you from working. 

Treating Lupus in Physicians 

Diagnosing lupus requires an array of tests to confirm the presence of the disease including blood tests, antibody tests, imaging tests, biopsies, and additional studies of the body. Treatment for lupus varies depending on the type of lupus and symptoms. Medications can alleviate symptoms, but may come with their own complications that keep physicians from returning to work. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and receiving regular medical monitoring and treatment can help doctors maintain a certain level of daily activity. Support groups and therapy are also recommended as part of a comprehensive lupus treatment plan. A Philadelphia lupus disability lawyer is here for you.

Claiming Your Disability Insurance Benefits for Lupus

Since the symptoms of lupus can change throughout the disease, maintaining a record of how your lupus symptoms keep you out of work will help our Philadelphia lupus disability lawyers build your claim for disability insurance benefits. Since a variety of medications are used to treat lupus, cataloging any side effects or other disruptions from taking medication, whether it is for pain, to control inflammation, or ease other symptoms, is important. Various immunosuppressive medications have been used to treat lupus, but these can also leave the patient susceptible to other infections and disease. Other medications such as steroids have noticeable adverse side effects that can place the lupus patient at further risk for complications as they try to manage their disease.

Contact Our Philadelphia Lupus Disability Lawyers for More Information

Do not hesitate to reach out to our Philadelphia Lupus disability lawyers to discuss your claim for disability insurance benefits. At Seltzer & Associates, we work with insurance companies and clients nationwide to secure disability insurance benefits for our clients. Do not hesitate to contact us; we are ready to discuss your lupus case with you today.