TIME Magazine reports that 1.5 million Americans are estimated to have the autoimmune disease lupus  and have plenty to manage with the pain, fatigue, hair loss, and heart problems the condition can cause. So, the last thing they need is to feel stigmatized or shamed because of their weight. But that’s exactly what has happened to celebrities with lupus like Selena Gomez.

In February 2023, the actor and singer shared with her social media followers that she tends to gain weight while taking certain medications to manage her condition and lose weight when she can stop taking those meds.

This side effect is just one of several ways lupus (also called systemic lupus erythematosus) is linked to changes in weight. 

Sometimes, it’s fluid retention. “Fluid can accumulate in people with lupus if they have, for example, renal failure from lupus nephritis or heart failure,” said Kyriakos A. Kirou, MD, DSc, FACP, rheumatologist at HSS.  

If that’s the case, diuretics and other treatments for the underlying disorder usually resolve the fluid retention too, he explained. 

Read the full article at time.com.