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CAUSES OF DEATH
born October 6, 1954 in Newark, New Jersey
died January 14, 2018, in Granville, Ohio - age 63 years.
Father: William J. Murphy
Mother: Jacqueline Bogner
Cause of death: Lupus
Lupus is a chronic (long-term) disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of the body. It's an autoimmune disease, which means that a person's immune system - the body system that usually fights infections - attacks healthy tissue instead.
Lupus most commonly affects a person's skin, joints and internal organs, like the kidneys and heart. Because lupus affects many parts of the body, it can cause a lot of different symptoms.
When people talk about lupus, they're usually talking about systemic lupus. But there are four kinds of lupus:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus
Cutaneous lupus, a form of lupus that is limited to the skin
Drug-induced lupus, a lupus-like disease caused by certain prescription drugs
Neonatal lupus, a rare condition that affects infants of women who have lupus
No one knows what causes lupus - but lupus and other autoimmune diseases do run in families. Experts also think it may develop in response to certain hormones (like estrogen) or environmental triggers. An environmental trigger is something outside the body that can bring on symptoms of lupus - or make them worse. Lupus is not contagious - you can't "catch" lupus or give it to someone else.
There is no one first sign or symptom of lupus. The early signs and symptoms of lupus are generally the same as the symptoms of lupus, including extreme fatigue, joint pain, or a butterfly rash. However, the early signs vary widely from person to person.
Until recently, the most common cause of death in people with lupus was kidney failure. Now, with better therapies, access to dialysis, and the possibility of kidney transplantation, the frequency of death from kidney disease has decreased sharply. However, kidney failure is still fatal in some people with lupus.
As death from kidney disease has declined, heart attacks and related cardiovascular diseases have emerged as leading causes of early mortality in people with lupus.
The reasons for accelerated heart disease have not been precisely delineated, but it is clear that multiple factors contribute. Therefore, it is especially important for people with lupus to minimize risk factors for heart disease. This means regular exercise, weight control, a low cholesterol diet and cholesterol-lowering medications if necessary, and most importantly no smoking.
Serious infections, often related to the immunosuppressive drugs that may be required to treat severe lupus, also may occasionally be fatal.
