Can people die of lupus? It is believed that between 10-15 percent of people with lupus will die prematurely due to complications of lupus. However, due to improved diagnosis and disease management, most people with the disease will go on to live a normal life span.

With close follow-up and treatment, 80-90% of people with lupus can expect to live a normal life span. It is true that medical science has not yet developed a method for curing lupus, and some people do die from the disease. However, for the majority of people living with the disease today, it will not be fatal.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the body’s organs. In severe cases, organs damage and failure can occur. Over 90 percent of people with lupus are women between the ages of 15 and 45. Historically, lupus caused people to die young, primarily from kidney failure.

Although autoimmune disorders can make life miserable, they usually are chronic and not fatal, Shomon says. Most are handled by a range of doctors from internist to rheumatologist to dermatologist.

On a basic level, autoimmune disease occurs because the body’s natural defenses — the immune system — attack the body’s own healthy tissue. Researchers have several ideas about why this happens. When the body senses danger from a virus or infection, the immune system kicks into gear and attacks it.

Vitamin D plays a key role in promoting regulatory T cells, which decide whether to dampen or promote inflammation in the body. This is particularly important in dampening autoimmunity such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, when the immune system attacks body tissue.

During this phase, foods like grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, nightshade vegetables, eggs, and dairy are completely avoided. Tobacco, alcohol, coffee, oils, food additives, refined and processed sugars, and certain medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should also be avoided ( 1 ).

Vitamin D toxicity is usually reversible, but severe cases may eventually cause kidney failure and calcification of the arteries ( 23 , 24 ).

Symptoms and Signs of Vitamin D Toxicity The main symptoms of vitamin D toxicity result from hypercalcemia. Anorexia, nausea, and vomiting can develop, often followed by polyuria, polydipsia, weakness, nervousness, pruritus, and eventually renal failure.