Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ joint Renal and Rheumatology team aims to be a leading specialist service in the fight against lupus – a disease which is particularly common in local communities in Bradford.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system becomes overactive and can affect many different organs. The normal immune system, which produces antibodies against foreign invaders, such as bacteria, goes into ‘overdrive’ and produces abnormal antibodies that attack different body parts like skin, joints and kidney.
It’s often mistaken for other conditions, as the symptoms can be wide ranging, including fatigue, rashes, joint pain, kidney disease and depression. There’s no cure, but symptoms can improve if treatment starts early.
The Trust’s Joint Renal and Rheumatology clinic was set up in 2017 to provide specialist treatment for patients with lupus. Its multidisciplinary team brings together doctors, nursing and specialist nursing staff, physiotherapists and occupational therapists to provide comprehensive care.
To mark World Lupus Day and raise awareness of the condition, an event was held last month at Bradford Royal Infirmary to bring together lupus patients and their carers, the multi-disciplinary clinical team and specialists to share perspectives and advice.
Among the invited speakers at the event were the chief executive officer of the charity Lupus UK, Caroline Olshewsky; Specialist Rheumatology Nurse, Catherine Short; Renal Pharmacist, Patience Akedo, Renal Dietitian, Mitchell Saeid; Helen Worsnop, Bradford Therapy Services and Cherry Bratkowski, Harrogate Lupus Support Group.
In addition, registration was open to join a new Bradford Lupus Support Group, to strengthen the partnership between the Trust and its patients.
Consultant Nephrologist, Dr Tarun Bansal said: “We were delighted to welcome Caroline from charity Lupus UK. She travelled from London to be with us for this event and talked to us and our patients about the fabulous work this charity is currently doing for Lupus patients.
“Here in Bradford, we are working closely with Lupus UK to deliver a high-class service to our patients. World Lupus Day was a chance to raise awareness and share our ambitions of making Bradford a centre of excellence for lupus services.
Dr Sarah Twigg, said: “Building partnerships, both regionally and nationally, is critical. Working alongside Lupus UK and within networks such as the North West Lupus Forum and the new Yorkshire Lupus Forum ensures we can create a joined-up approach, further enhancing the care we provide to our patients.
“To build upon the regional partnership, we organised the first Yorkshire Lupus Forum for health professionals in February, and now, for the first time, we have held a World Lupus Day event for patients and carers in our Trust.”
The Joint Renal Rheumatology clinic runs once a month, every second Thursday. It looks after patients recently diagnosed with Lupus affecting the kidney and provides care during the intensive phase of treatment with high doses of immunosuppressive medications.