What is lupus? Halsey hints that she has the condition that causes the body to attack itself

Singer Halsey has hinted that her recent health problems are due to lupus, a ‘sneaky’ autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack itself.

The 29-year-old American pop star, real name Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, posted a series of videos in which she was given medical IVs and burst into tears at the same time.

Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, Nick Cannon and Katherine Ryan have also struggled with systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly known as lupus.

In lupus, the body’s immune system mistakes its own tissues and organs as foreign, creating proteins called autoantibodies that attack them.

According to the Mayo Clinicthe disease causes inflammation that affects the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

She shared the news on Instagram in a series of videos that appear to document the singer receiving IVs.

What exactly causes lupus is still unknown, but sunlight, stress, smoking, certain medications and viruses can cause symptoms in people who are more likely to develop lupus because of their genes.

Hormones such as estrogen are also thought to cause symptoms.

In fact, lupus is more common in women during their childbearing years, when levels of the hormone are highest.

Lupus affects about one in two hundred people in the US and Britain, and more than five million people worldwide.

There is no cure, but there are treatments available that can help reduce symptoms.

However, sufferers often have to travel a long way to diagnosis. No two cases of lupus are the same, making it notoriously difficult to diagnose.

Halsey is also mother to son Ender, who turns three next month in July. She shares the little one with ex, Alev Aydin

Symptoms of lupus include pleural effusions (a buildup of fluid in the lungs), heart and kidney problems, arthritis, and Raynaud’s phenomenon (when the fingers turn white or blue in response to stress or cold). A butterfly rash over the face is also an important sign

The singer and screenwriter, but in April 2023 it was revealed that the couple had split but would amicably co-parent their son. After the divorce, Halsey started dating actor Avan Jogia; seen with Jogia in LA in May

A telltale sign is a facial rash that resembles a butterfly on both cheeks, but this does not occur in all cases.

Lupus symptoms vary in severity and last different periods of time. Most patients have mild symptoms that progress from time to time into more temporary severe episodes.

Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, fever, joint pain such as stiffness and swelling, skin lesions, shortness of breath and chest pain.

Dry eyes, headaches, confusion and memory loss, and fingers that turn white or blue when cold or when a person is stressed can also occur.

The symptoms are similar to many other diseases, meaning it can be difficult for doctors to pinpoint lupus as the cause.

Some experts call the condition the “great masquerade” for this reason.

Some people are born with a predisposition to lupus, a condition that infections, certain medications, or sunlight can cause.

Doctors recommend seeing a doctor if you have an unexplained rash or fever, pain, or fatigue that persists.

Six in ten people with lupus develop kidney complications.

One such complication is lupus nephritis, which occurs when lupus autoantibodies attack the parts of the kidneys that filter waste.

This can inflame the kidneys and cause them to not work properly or even fail.