Selena Gomez is putting her health first.
The 21-year-old released a statement last week, vowing to “spend time" on herself and Popdust can exclusively report she has done so to deal with health issues related to Lupus.
Sources close to the singer tell Popdust that Selena was diagnosed with Lupus a couple of years ago and that she has suffered multiple “flares” recently, causing facial swelling, extreme fatigue, headaches and joint pain.
“Selena has been going full throttle the past few years and her Lupus is really catching up with her right now,” one source says.
“She knows that she needs to take some time to address the disease and look after herself better if she wants to live a full and healthy life."
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, meaning the immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissues, causing inflammation and tissue damage. It commonly shows as a red rash on the face and causes joint pain, damage to organs and the nervous system, fatigue, fever, headaches and temporary loss of cognitive skills.
It’s more prevalent in African American, Hispanic, Native American and Asian women, age 15-35, and affects sufferers intermittently, with periods of illness alternating with remissions—Lupus sufferers often try to keep out of direct sunlight as sunshine can exacerbate the disease.
It is incurable but treatable with 80-90 percent of sufferers expecting to live a normal lifespan.
Michael Jackson, Toni Braxton, Seal and Nick Cannon are amongst other celebrity sufferers.
Selena's rep declined to comment despite multiple requests.
To find out more about the disease and to donate towards research go to the Lupus Foundation of America.
