Teen Mom 2 star Briana DeJesus has been diagnosed with lupus. DeJesus revealed her diagnosis with fans over the weekend after detailing her experiences of suffering from a mysterious medical crisis for the past several months. The MTV reality star, who did not share when exactly she was diagnosed with the incurable autoimmune disease, shared her diagnosis with fans in a Sunday, Sept. 5 tweet.
Sharing her diagnosis online, DeJesus revealed that she “got diagnosed with lupus a few days ago.” Although the Teen Mom 2 star admitted she “was definitely sad about” the diagnosis after first receiving it, she said she is “starting to finally feel better.” While DeJesus did not provide further details, she did tell one fan that she was planning to “go see another doctor to get a second opinion on my treatment plan.” She added in another tweet that she definitely wants to “see a holistic doctor.”
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Lupus is an inflammatory disease that’s a result of the body’s immune system attacking its own tissues and organs, according to the Mayo Clinic. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect the kidneys as well as other body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. Receiving a diagnosis can be difficult, however, as the symptoms of lupus — fatigue, fever, joint pain, dry eyes, etc. — often mimic those of other ailments. DeJesus received her diagnosis long after she first began suffering from the symptoms and months after she revealed that had tested positive for the likely diagnosis.
In a July health update, DeJesus told fans, “I am so sad. My Ana test came back positive,” adding that it probably meant she had lupus as “everyone in my family has it.” An ANA test “detects antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in your blood.” Antinuclear antibodies “often attack your body’s own tissues — specifically targeting each cell’s nucleus,” and a positive ANA test indicates that your immune system has launched a misdirected attack on your own tissue — in other words, an autoimmune reaction.”
DeJesus’ diagnosis comes nearly four years after her mother, Roxanne DeJesus, was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease. At the time, Roxanne shared a photo to Twitter showing numerous blood samples. She wrote, “They weren’t kidding when they said it takes series of tests to be diagnosed with lupus. Thankful and grateful that I’m feeling so much better.”
