Actress Zhou Haimei passed away. She suffered from lupus erythematosus for a long time. This "immortal cancer" especially favors women.

On December 12, actress Zhou Haimei's studio announced that Zhou Haimei passed away due to illness. Zhou Haimei's friend, Hong Kong actor Tin Kai Man, once said that Zhou Haimei had been suffering from lupus erythematosus for a long time.

Zhou Haimei can be said to be the most beautiful "Zhou Zhiruo" in the hearts of a generation. Her image and performance have left a deep impression on people. She played the role of "Zhou Zhiruo" in the 1994 TV series "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". Her beauty and elegance made her a goddess in the hearts of many audiences.

In addition, Zhou Haimei has also starred in many classic film and television dramas, including "The Unforgiven", "The Gangster Tycoon", "No Regrets in This Life", "Swordsman", "The Empress of China", and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

It is reported that Zhou Haimei has always been in poor health and suffers from lupus erythematosus. Therefore, Zhou Haimei has never given birth, and she is also afraid of passing on the disease to the next generation.

Zhou Haimei's Weibo picture

Lupus erythematosus is called the "immortal cancer"

Lupus erythematosus is also called "immortal cancer" by many people because the disease cannot be cured, but the condition can be controlled with regular scientific treatment.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a systemic autoimmune disease that can cause damage to multiple organs, including the kidneys, cardiovascular system, lungs, digestive system, blood system, blood vessels, eyes, etc. The most obvious symptom is the appearance of a "butterfly-shaped rash" on the cheeks. Many people think it is an allergy and go to the dermatologist.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is not just about the butterfly-like rash. It is a systemic autoimmune disease that can cause damage to multiple organs, including the kidneys, cardiovascular system, lungs, digestive system, blood system, blood vessels, and eyes. The symptoms are complex and varied, including joint pain, impaired heart function, recurrent oral ulcers, and clinical signs of kidney involvement, such as proteinuria, hematuria, or renal insufficiency. ①

Therefore, many people have gone to dermatology, orthopedics, nephrology, etc. but have not found the cause of the disease. In fact, lupus erythematosus needs to be treated by rheumatology and immunology!

Lupus erythematosus particularly favors women

In 2009, the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital took the lead in establishing the Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research Collaborative Group in my country, and conducted a survey on the epidemiological characteristics of lupus patients in my country. The data showed that the average age of onset of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in my country was 30.7 years old, the female:male ratio was 12:1, and the average age at diagnosis was 31.6 years old, of which 4.58% were <18 years old; 79.56% were 18 to 40 years old, reflecting that the vast majority of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in my country are young people. ②

From the perspective of geographical distribution, the largest number of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus is found in northern my country, accounting for 25.03%; patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who have low education levels, poor local medical care, long hours of sun exposure, and live in southern my country have a higher severity of disease. In addition, ultraviolet radiation and smoking can induce the onset and recurrence of systemic lupus erythematosus. Smokers have more severe disease and are more likely to suffer from kidney damage.

"Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease caused by multiple factors, including genetics, cyclin, gender, sex hormones, ultraviolet environment, etc. Therefore, the disease is highly heterogeneous and requires high individualized diagnosis and treatment." Professor Zeng Xiaofeng, director of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, introduced in an article published in Health News in April 2020, "The cruel reality is that in my country, more than half of patients who develop the disease at the age of around 30 die by the age of 55 to 60."③

Standardized treatment of lupus erythematosus is crucial

Every relapse is a heavy blow

"Relapse is something that lupus patients have to face throughout their lives, and it is also the most difficult hurdle to overcome in treatment. Many patients are constantly consumed and harmed in the process of 'relapse-remission-relapse'." Zhang Zhiyi, deputy director of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, said in an article published on WeChat of Health Times in September 2020 that organ damage worsens with each relapse, and each relapse is a heavy blow to patients. At the same time, the accumulated adverse reactions of long-term drugs will also seriously affect the quality of life of patients. It is understood that nearly 60% of lupus patients will experience persistent activity or repeated relapses of the disease, and more than 50% of patients will suffer organ damage.

Zhang Zhiyi introduced that there are many reasons for inducing relapse, the most critical of which is non-standard treatment and poor patient compliance. The most typical one is arbitrary discontinuation of medication. In the treatment of lupus erythematosus, hormones are one of the conventional drugs, especially in some severe attacks and important organ damage, which can quickly control the disease. However, long-term use of glucocorticoids will bring many side effects, such as changes in body shape, obesity, and hirsutism. Some patients will stop taking the medication at will because they cannot accept it. Other patients will stop taking the medication on their own if they feel that their condition has improved, which results in a relapse of the disease, and they use a higher dose of hormones instead. ④

Li Mengtao, deputy director of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said in an article published on WeChat in September 2020 that there are two main stages in the treatment of lupus erythematosus. The first is to control the activity of the disease, reduce organ damage, and avoid infection and recurrence; the second is to minimize the side effects of drugs. "We have been trying to increase the use of innovative drugs, which can not only control the disease and reduce recurrence, but also replace hormones, reduce the dosage of hormones to a minimum, or even stop using them, thus avoiding the possible side effects of long-term use of hormone drugs."

Li Mengtao believes that the emergence of immunosuppressants with fewer side effects and new targeted drugs is expected to reduce the use of hormone drugs and increase patients' medication compliance. In addition, in daily life, we should also pay attention to avoiding sun exposure, emotional stress reactions, quitting smoking, etc., which can also help prevent recurrence.

This article is compiled from:

①Chinese Society of Rheumatology, National Clinical Research Center for Skin and Immunological Diseases, Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research Collaboration Group. 2020 Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines[J]. Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine, 2020, 059(003): 172-185.

② Tian Xinping, Li Mengtao, Zeng Xiaofeng. Current status and future development direction of diagnosis and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus in my country: 2020 Annual Report of the China Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Development Report. Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine 2022; 61: 611–6.

③2020-04-07 Health News "Systemic lupus erythematosus guidelines updated after ten years, emphasizing early diagnosis and target treatment" (Wang Xiaoyu)

④2020-09-30 Health Times WeChat Official Account "On average, it takes one year to diagnose lupus erythematosus! The more lupus erythematosus is delayed, the harder it is to treat!"

Source: Health Times