Health experts are raising concerns about lupus, an autoimmune condition that can damage vital organs and is often mistaken for other illnesses, including HIV, particularly among women.

At the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), kidney-related cases have increased significantly over the past decade, with experts warning that some patients are reporting symptoms late, after lupus has already caused serious kidney damage.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. When the kidneys are affected, the condition can lead to chronic kidney disease and, in severe cases, kidney failure.

One patient living with the condition is 28-year-old nurse Patience Appau Owusu, who has been battling lupus-related chronic kidney disease for the past four years.

Patience says the condition has severely affected her daily life.

“Due to this sickness, I can't do anything on my own. I can't go anywhere.”

She said she experienced difficulty breathing, swelling of her feet and face, and extreme fluctuations in body temperature.

“I was having edema and the swelling of feet and puffy faces. Sometimes I will feel very hot in the room, and this sickness is very difficult for me to sleep.”

Associate Professor at the KNUST School of Medical Sciences, Professor Elliot Kuranto Tannor, explained that lupus can affect several parts of the body, including the kidneys.

He said some of the symptoms can make the condition difficult to distinguish from other illnesses.

“One of the things that can affect the filtering apparatus of the kidney is this autoimmune condition we call lupus,” Professor Tarnor explained.

He said lupus is a systemic condition that can affect different parts of the body and may present with symptoms such as hair loss and persistent joint pain.

He further noted that some patients may experience weight loss and anaemia, leading people to mistakenly suspect HIV infection.

“Lupus happens to be one of the conditions where if people don't know, they might think they have HIV because they present similarly.”

Professor Tannor said some patients undergo repeated HIV tests despite testing negative.

“You see people like that who would have done HIV test like six times, and all of that is negative.”

Experts say when lupus affects the kidneys, the body's immune response can damage the organs responsible for filtering waste from the blood.

However, delayed diagnosis and treatment can worsen the damage.

Professor Tannor said data from research conducted at KATH showed a significant increase in kidney-related cases over a ten-year period.

“Our OPD cases have quadrupled over the ten-year period, and our admission cases have tripled.”

He expressed concern that many patients only seek medical attention after their conditions have progressed significantly.

“Unfortunately, over seventy percent of our patients who come in, we see, come in at any stages because they don't report early.”

According to Professor Tannor, one of the factors contributing to delayed treatment is the tendency of some patients to self-medicate or seek alternative forms of treatment before visiting a hospital.

He said some patients resort to herbal treatment or prayer camps, which can delay appropriate medical intervention.

“Most people would want to self-medicate. They are taking all sorts of medications. Some will go to prayer camps, some will rather want to go and see a herbalist, and unfortunately, that worsens the condition.”

He urged people experiencing persistent symptoms to seek medical attention early rather than waiting until their conditions become severe.

Professor Tannor stressed that early detection and appropriate treatment remain critical in managing lupus and preventing serious kidney complications.

For patients such as Patience Owusu, the condition has already had a profound impact on their lives, highlighting the importance of recognising symptoms early and seeking professional medical care.

Health experts are therefore urging the public, particularly women experiencing unexplained symptoms such as persistent joint pain, hair loss, weight loss, anaemia, swelling or other unusual changes, to seek medical assessment rather than assuming the cause.