Information

Fatigue

Fatigue is an almost universal problem for lupus patients. Many different factors are responsible for the severe tiredness many patients experience and this makes it difficult to give advice on how to combat this debilitating complication of lupus.

However, research from the lupus unit has clearly shown that regular gentle exercise is beneficial in combating fatigue. You should start gentle exercise, perhaps walking in the park and aim to exercise for about 20 minutes. You should gradually increase your exercise so that each time you exercise you increase your pulse rate and you should aim to do this about three times a week. Our results show that gentle exercise will not damage your joints or cause your lupus to flare.

Another recent piece of research from the lupus clinic has shown that keeping your weight down significantly improves fatigue. There are no specific dietary recommendations but our research has shown the low glycaemic index (Low GI) diet to be very beneficial to lupus patients.

Clearly other measures such as giving up smoking will also help your ability to exercise. It is also likely that small amounts of alcohol especially red wine may be beneficial in the long term. However if you are on drugs such as Warfarin you should discuss these issues with your doctor.

Dr D D'Cruz.
Louise Coote Lupus Unit

** If you are wavering as to whether to give up smoking please go to the American lupus website www.lupus.org.

Home > Information > Information for Patients > Fatigue