Discoid lupus causes reddish, scaly skin.
Lupus nephritis, which affects the kidneys, may be more severe in those assigned male at birth.
Common Lupus Symptoms
Some common lupus symptoms may accompany those that are more common in males.
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They include:
Lupus and Male Fertility
Lupus doesn’t appear to affectmale fertility.
However, some lupus medications may damage sperm-producing cells.Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide)and glucocorticoids may affect your reproductive abilities.
Why Is Lupus Less Common in Men?
However, researchers have some ideas about what could be causing the differences.
Females with lupus have abnormally high estrogen and low progesterone levels.
Males with lupus may have high estrogen and lower testosterone levels than is considerednormal for their age.
Researchers also suspect sex-based differences inimmune functionandgeneticsplay a role in who gets lupus more often.
Pregnancy changes the body in ways that may increase the likelihood of autoimmune disease, as well.
Lupus in Transgender or Non-Binary People
Research on lupus intransgenderor non-binary people is in its earliest stages.
However, the role of sex hormones in people who are transitioning has gained some attention.
A 2022 review looked at case studies involvingautoimmuneandautoinflammatoryrheumatic diseases in trans people on hormone therapy.
Conditions included:
Most of the cases were in trans women and occurred after they started estrogen therapy.
In some cases, stopping hormone therapy helped alleviate symptoms and disease activity.
This all seems to bolster the theory that sex hormones play a major role in these diseases.
One trans man who had lupus before transitioning had a marked improvement in symptoms after starting testosterone therapy.
Emotional Challenges
All chronic disease can cause emotional difficulties, such as depression.
Males with lupus may wrestle with extra problems because of societal expectations.
Having a “women’s disease” can add to that burden.
Online groups may give you a better chance of finding groups with other males.
The average age for diagnosis in people assigned female at birth is 30.
For those assigned male at birth, it’s 40.
It’s not yet clear how much of that gap is accounted for by delayed diagnosis.
If your provider is reluctant to test or isn’t comfortable diagnosing you, consider getting a second opinion.
Lupus is rarely a simple, straightforward diagnosis.
It can take a few rounds of testing to know for sure whether you have it.
Expect it to take a while and try not to get discouraged.
Each test brings you closer to knowing what’s wrong and how to treat it.
Summary
Males get lupus less often than females and may have different symptoms, as well.
For example, males with lupus might be more likely to have a discoid rash or kidney problems.
People transitioning from one sex to another with hormone therapy may change their susceptibility to lupus.
Finding support from other males like you may help.
If you suspect you have lupus, ask your healthcare provider to test you.
Some research has suggested that compounds in garlic and alfalfa sprouts could trigger a flare of lupus symptoms.
That’s because they boost the immune system, which is a bad thing in people with autoimmune diseases.
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