For many years Lupus was thought to be a fatal disease; however that is a big misconception. In fact, the prognosis for Lupus is much better today than ever before

As far as musicians go, few have gone from relative obscurity to world domination faster than Lady Gaga. In a few short years she has captivated millions, baffled anyone over 45, and made fellow musicians green with envy. In an era where most musicians struggle to hit the 1 million sales mark Lady Gaga has sold more than 8 million albums and 20 million downloads. She’s also won two Grammy Awards and had four #1 singles from her debut album. She writes her own music and is often (unfairly) compared to early Madonna. And what about her clothes / costumes!? Her theatrical style (really like wearable sculpture) has made her the muse of many of the world’s top designers. Whether you love her or hate her you have to admit that Lady Gaga is unique.

With everything that’s happened to Gaga over the past year it’s no wonder she says she’s tired. But when you start collapsing on stage, experience heart palpitations, cancel concerts because of exhaustion, and have a family history of Lupus, you might want to see the doctor. Which is exactly what she did. After that doctor visit she took to her website and told her fans that she didn’t exactly get good news, or bad news, really.

Lady Gaga’s doctors told her she’d tested borderline positive for Lupus. Borderline positive? Sounds kind of vague, right? But that’s exactly what Lupus is - vague. According to the Lupus Foundation, "There are many challenges in confirming whether a person has Lupus. Lupus symptoms can be unclear, can come and go, and can change over time. It may take months or even years for doctors to piece together symptoms to accurately diagnose Lupus.”

Ok. So what is Lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissues. Approximately 1.5 to 2 million Americans have some form of Lupus and more than 90% of those diagnosed are women between the ages of 15 and 44. There are four types of Lupus - systemic Lupus, discoid Lupus, drug-induced Lupus, and neonatal Lupus. Of these four, systemic Lupus is the most common and the most serious. Lupus is also a disease of flares -the symptoms worsen and you feel sick - and remissions - the symptoms improve and you feel better.

Lupus has a wide range of symptoms that are known to affect many parts of the body. Sometimes symptoms develop slowly or appear suddenly; they can be mild, severe, temporary, or permanent. Most people with Lupus experience symptoms in a few organs, but more serious cases can lead to problems in the kidneys, heart, lungs, blood, and nervous system. Some of the most common symptoms of Lupus are: fatigue, low grade fever, weight loss or gain, joint pain, stiffness and swelling, a butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose, skin lesions, mouth sores, hair loss, fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

The cause of Lupus is as tricky as the diagnosis. It's likely that Lupus is a result of genetics and ones environment. Doctors now believe people may inherit a predisposition to Lupus, but not Lupus itself. Rather, people with an inherited predisposition for Lupus only develop the disease when they come into contact with something in the environment that triggers it, such as a medication or a virus.

Currently, doctors use a list of 11 criteria established by The American College of Rheumatology to diagnose Lupus. A person needs to exhibit at least 4 of the 11 criteria before an official diagnosis can be made. Of the 11 criteria, 7 deal with actual symptoms, and 4 deal with lab test results. Doctors also take into account the person’s medical history, and the medical history of close family members -grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. Gaga said previously that Lupus runs in her family and her aunt Joanne died from the disease.

For many years Lupus was thought to be a fatal disease; however that is a big misconception. In fact, the prognosis for Lupus is much better today than ever before. Unfortunately, there is no cure and some people do die from the disease. But, if you are careful and follow your doctor’s instructions people with Lupus can look forward to a normal lifespan.

As for Lady Gaga, she seems to be taking this all in stride and taking extra precautions to remain healthy. She says, “As of right now I do not have [Lupus], but I have to take good care of myself. I'm okay. I have heart palpitations and things. But it's okay. It's just from fatigue and other things. I don't do drugs and I don't smoke.” But don't expect her to slow down anytime soon she continues, "People say I should take a break. But I'm like, Why should I take a break? What do you want me to do? Go on vacation?"

Stacy Matson is a health enthusiast from Southern California and regularly blogs on Celebrity Health for A Healthier World, as well as contributing to the Best of the Best.