Systemic Lupus, SLE = No more flying?
 

Hi there,
I've recently been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus, a kind that affects my blood and joints and not internal organs, the meds seemed to have cleared it up completely. My Question is: Can I kiss goodbye to my first and second class medicals? Will I ever even be able to get a NPL? Or is it a diagnosis that dooms me ever being able to fly solo ever?:{
Thank you,
Sarah Kelly

I had a long discussion with an AME about this as my wife has SLE. Her medical lapsed when she was pregnant and her diagnosis was subsequent to this. His view was that it could go either way but that if you held or had held a medical it would be harder for the CAA to revoke or refuse it than if you were applying fresh. SLE can vary in its severity. My wife was very seriously ill at one point with multi organ problems and cerebral lupus. She also has "sticky blood". At the time the diagnosis was poor but she recovered and for some years now has virtually no active symptoms and has a very low maintenance dosage drugs. The problem you may experience with regard to a medical certificate is that the blood problem can effect blood pressure and increases the risk of stroke although this can all be ttreated with medication.

Good luck

Lupus.....continued
 

My Class 1 is less then a year old, I've never been sick in my life before the diagnoses 3 months ago, not even a broken bone or appendix, I didnt have high blood pressure during or after my time in hospital, do you think my class 2 medical will be invalid now aswell?

Your medical is invalid now, as in most countries, you may not exercise the privileges of your licence if you have a medical condition which might affect your ability to hold a medical. The best option is to report this to the medical department of your CAA equivalent and see where it goes from there.

If you continue flying with the condition and have an incident or accident (whether related to the condition or not), you may find yourself in the postion of having no insurance, being sued for damages, and potentially facing criminal action.

Cheers,

BM

I havn't flown since being diagnosed, and don't plan on, I was just wondering if anyone with the same illness which may have gone into remission for a number of years or had a mild form was givin some kinda of medical, but if you are an AME and are sure there's no chance then i guess thats the end of that....:{

Bad Medicine is right, You do need to contact your CAA. Despite your location I wonder if you have a UK issued JAR certificate. If so, the CAA will almost certainly respond to your call by making you "temporarily unfit" and asking you for detailed reports from your Specialist. With a relatively unusual condition like SLE (about 1:1000 or so I think) the more information your consultant can give about you personally the better. You do need to be aware that many medications used in SLE can , in themselves, be incompatible with JAR certification. However.....

You ask about certification for the NPL. (I presume this means a National Pilot's Licence).

I see your location is given as Kazakhstan. If you are not a UK resident with an NHS GP please ignore the rest of the post as I only have any knowledge (albeit peripheral) of the situation in the UK and this post only applies to the UK NPPL (National Pilots Licence) which you can use in a Single Engine Aeroplane, in daylight, under VFR, in UK airspace only.

In the UK, certification for the NPPL is done by your own registered NHS GP or another doctor in the same practice with access to your medical record. (No other doctor*, not even your consultant or your AME, can sign it you up for this, though if your GP does refuse, there is a mechanism to try to get them to change their minds). This is the form you have to sign, and they then countersign it.

Certification is based on the UK DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) medical standards for car drivers. The lower standard is based on private car driving, and enables one to fly solo or with a safety pilot, but not with a non pilot passenger. The higher standard is based on Lorry and Bus Driver medical standards and allows one to carry non pilots.

You can find the dvla standards here....At a glance guide to the current medical standards of fitness to drive

and I can't see a mention of SLE in it anywhere, though some of the complications of SLE are mentioned.

If your GP feels you are legal to drive, then you should be legal to fly, so why not take the form along to him or her, and see if you can persuade them to sign it. (You may well have to pay a fee, and provide your GP with any background information they need. You can find out more at National Private Pilots licence )

I hope things work out for you.

* (actually, the Medical Advisor of AOPA or the LAA can sign you up if your GP refuses, though they would be more likely to try to try to persuade your GP to change his or her mind). ..edited for pedantic accuracy.

Check your pm's

Loopy-Lupus
 

Thanks for all of your answers they have given me some hope!
I guess a message from a pilot out with the illness would have givne me more but I'll see how it goes....

Sarah,

If you have any doubts about your treatment - get a second opinion. SLE can be controlled but get it sorted sooner rather than later. It does affect one's organs if not got under control.

Good luck and get well soon.

Hi Sarah,

Hope you're doing well! I know this is a very old thread, but I'll give it a shot. I'm highly interested in hearing how everything turned out for you, and if you managed to keep your medical? I'm in the same situation and got diagnosed with SLE six months ago. Still waiting for the verdict from my AME, trying to collect as much information as possible to try and build up a "case". I'm told it will take another six months until a final decision can be made. I've managed to find a short article in the Federal Air Surgeon’s Medical Bulletin about a fellow pilot who managed to keep his medical class 1, but that's basically everything I've been able to find.


Take care!
Best,
Isac