Just reading through some of the threads and there seems to be a lot of health care professionals with connective tissue diseases / lupus
Obviously it can be of unknown cause, but I am now questioning if the constant exposure to nasty bugs has a role to play.
I worked as a nurse.
I worked in a school for children with severe learning disabilities, so was around nasty bugs constantly
I work as a social worker. Anecdotally, I've noticed that too but it could be because I mostly know people in the social service field.
I'm also a social worker, fairly newly qualified and employed (15 months for both). Which area do you work in?
I'm in an older people and phys dis team. I spend a lot of time in hospitals and care homes. I wonder if that's why I pick up so many bugs.
I work in homeless services. 
lots of bugs. It's how the doc convinced me to go on ongoing antibiotics 
Hi, I used to be a Radiographer/sonographer, did it all my working life til I retired early as I couldn't cope with the type of workload with my connective tissue disease. I hadn't thought of bugs, just put it down to stress. Let's hope you uncover something
I am a doctor. There's quite a lot of autoimmunity in my family though I think the hours and work intensity tipped me into being really unwell.
Recently reduced hours from 47 down to 26, rapid improvement in general health and reduced symptoms.
I'm a pharmacy technician and the connective tissue started not long after I started in Pharmacy when I was 19. I definitely think it has something to do with it, I always thought it may have been because I handle medication and drugs frequently but it could be to do with the bugs!
I had symptoms long before being diagnosed. I went back to work as a personal injury lawyer at a solicitors for a year after having my 3 child but the stress broke me - or so I thought at the time. I had worked there for 11 years and loved it. I left and was a stay at home mum for 2 years. By the time I was Diagnosed with my very big flare I was working as a teaching assistant in a junior school. It's a much more mum friendly job - but lots of bugs and germs constantly. Interesting discussion.
I worked in a School as a Teaching Assistant .. I also taught Drama while studying at Uni ... Had one year left to gain my Degree in English Lit & Lang ... but Lupus knocked me for six ... seems it opened the door for secondary symptoms too .. I feel half dead and can no longer work ..
This is so frustrating, i worked hard too, to better my lot to find myself struggling with my health, and without a job and not a penny back in benefits either.
I was a nurse before having my family. Since then I've worked in a pre-school and as a home carer.
Thank you all, hope to hear more thoughts on this.
Most of you seem to come from roles where you have high exposure to lots of people, and potentially lots of bugs, and communities of people, schools, hospitals, etc.
Interestingly i worked in intensive care back in the day, dealt with people with sepsis with unknown causes, and some of the antibiotic infusions used are very powerful. Makes you wonder if the drug exposure is damaging to the immune system.
When i started out nursing i never hailed anything, but my last full time role which i left 2 years ago was in a walk in centre.
After i had multiple pulmonary emboli i picked up everything going. My husband calls it the germ centre.
All very thought provoking.
I had worked as a PA for about four years before my SLE diagnosis - I had a sunbed treatment and that has been traced back as the trigger which started my Lupus. I also developed renal disease within three months of the sunbed treatment. Unfortunately I had this sunbed treatment back in the late 70's so we were uninformed about just how dangerous they can be.
I work as a support assistant in special needs school,also do bank
Nursing in various wards,interesting if there is a connection.
I was a radiographer and I have Sjogren's. I have a friend who was also a radiographer and she also has Sjogren's. My mother was a dentist and had another AI disease.
? Coincidence
Very interesting-my personal theory is that it is the type of people we are that predisposes us to autoimmune. That would fit, to some extent, with the type of job too-as we would tend to select similar roles. I am a doer-someone who likes to make sure others are ok-our house revolves around me and my commitments/ health. I like to be in control!! Stress is all part of the above and not good for us!! Its a great debate. What do others think/feel? I work in education.
I used to work in a call centre making sure engineers attended calls by set times, parts ordering etc. I was a secretary before that. My jobs weren't the problem though as I recently found out I was born with SLE and it showed bits of itself all through my life until I was 27 when it came out fighting when I miscarried my 4th pregnancy. I had miscarried the previous pregnancies too.
I haven't been diagnosed with SLE as all bloodwork came back neg but had previous positive ANA....have Raynauds and fibro and have had ongoing symptoms for several years.....strange but I worked in a school for 7 years before working for the NHS on a busy ward for over 10 years....a very interesting conversation this is
I used work in care of elderly with alhziemers discease.no no evidence on that absolutely nothing to do with lupus,connective tissue discease.stress yes as lupus reacts to hormone surges stress elevates then.
Infection wise if on chemotherapy for lupus connective tissue.
But never caused lupus itself or any auto immune problems bugs.
Staff in care industry need be shown how de stress daily threw exercise massage good diet.
Good sleep.
They help body be stronger for flares
For many history of autoimmune discease in family adds to issue.
Work in open plan office & the amount of germs floating about was high. Dramatically cut my hours from 37 to 21 & health has definitely improved not so many chest infections or head colds etc.
I have worked in community pharmacy for 25 years. Being in charge of a very busy dispensary and all it entails means lots of stress. I found I very rarely caught any colds etc even though it is an unhealthy environment.
I worked in pathology for 38 years until I had to retired on ill health grounds this August. Moll
I was in the health care field for many years
Really interesting!! Looking back, first I remember being ill I was 30?, single mum, working as a staff nurse in a haematology/oncology unit, was the hospitals Unison branch secretary and was trying to do a degree in politics in my 'spare' time .... I got a chest infection with haemoptysis, then low wcc, crashing fatigue, lymphadenopathy, peeling ears, rashes over my chest neck and ears, dropped uni and got slowly better.
People have told me lots over years I am working myself into the ground.... I think it's possibly combination of personality type (driven control freak :)) genetic disposition and exposure to viruses??
This is an interesting thread. I was also in the health care field all my life, the majority as a Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner in then US. I worked both in clinics and private practice and was constantly exposed to various bacteria/ viruses and stresses, and rarely was ill until I crashed w/ SLE symptoms 5 years ago. I have never seen any comprehensive statistics on triggers for SLE, just lots of possibilities. As many of you might have seen, there was a poll this past year on this forum asking what individuals felt " caused" or triggered their lupus to become active. There was a spectrum of thoughts- pregnancy, stress , viruses, other immune disorders, sunlight. Recent textbooks suggest others as well, such as smoking, trauma ( either physical and/ or emotional stressors), intestinal dysfunction, just like they think now that multiple genes are involved. We all have a desire to I understand how we got here. For years I hoped that figuring that out would enable me to backtrack and "fix" it. That didn't pan out. We will all have more knowledge and thus power over the course of our disease by understanding it better, so sharing these possibilities is important and enlightening!
I was a nurse for thirty years. But auto immune in the family. Stress of too much child protection pushed me over. Probably bugs didn't help.
I was still at school when I was diagnosed and worked with young people most of my working life. Eventually became a teacher. Had to give everything up when SLE led to my renal failure and 4 years on dialysis. Had transplant last year and now I'm volunteering in an educational capacity.
I worked in management for the NHS for over 30 years. So again, loads of bugs. I noted the coincidence too. Makes you wonder doesn't it? x
I have read with interest all the replies and wonder if there maybe is another reason other than the job role but the workplace as in every job mentioned it would have been where exposure to artificial lighting for hours on end would be the norm.Hospital and office lighting are usually very bright unshielded striplights or similar. I know that although I had symptoms of Lupus from a child it was only when my work changed from driving and out/in type of work to office based that symptoms became so obvious.It is one of my biggest triggers now going anywhere hospital or office based.Took me awhile to make the connection but if don't cover up wear large brimmed hat and sunglasses I not only get the facial reddening but the awful fatigue Aching flare starts .I find it even more intensely than sunlight which I presume is because the sun is up and the artificial lighting comes from the ceilings much lower plus the endless pc screens (I use a filter screen over my tiny tablet,) wall lights etc.It may not be the reason with everybody else but the workplace lighting conditions are also the common denominator in the above posts .Any ideas on it would be welcome.
Thanks
Effie x
I was diagnosed with lupus while I was in my early teens and at secondary school, but after uni I became a secondary school teacher and have been teaching for 14 years. Loads of bugs in school and my body seems to save up being ill until the school holidays.
Thank you everyone thats contributed. It certainly has made thought provoking reading.
Stress, workplace lighting, environment, bugs, longer exposure to communities of people, antibiotics and drug exposure, sunbeds, coincidental and personality type.
I agree the jobs most do are very stressfull and most work with a lot of people under artificial lighting all day long.
Any other thoughts on this?
I have recently noticed i easily get stressed under any pressure, its frustrating the struggles i know i will face and worry i wont be able to do something. struggling with any kind if work now including around the house.
Friends...off hydroxychloroquine, what do you think?
At what point do you need to go to hospital?
What do you take for extreme nausea?
What do you think of this facial redness in my photo?
