The south London branch of Lupus UK hopes to raise awareness of the condition in the run-up to Lupus Awareness Month next month.

Lupus is a critical auto-immune condition which is often overlooked because sufferers do not look obviously unwell. It causes the body to create antibodies which instead of protecting the body, attack its connective tissues.

To ensure the condition is taken seriously, diagnosed properly and supported in south London, Adetoun Hughes, leader of the south London Lupus UK office and a lupus sufferer for 12 years, campaigns for wider recognition for this little-known disease.

Adetoun was advised by her lupus consultant at St Thomas' Hospital in London to join Lupus UK to combat her depression - a common side-effect of the disease - and took over the the group when the former committee stood down.

Her consultant believes her lupus was triggered by a combination of the birth of her son - it is known lupus most commonly affects women of childbearing age - and drugs she had been taking for Graves disease.

Symptoms differ in each patient. Adetoun suffers arthritic problems, hair loss, she can't feel light touch because of her poor sensory neuropathy and her renal condition is affected.

She said: "This means I find it difficult to go from hot to cold temperatures.

"Lupus patients' blood vessels cannot adjust immediately and they constrict ,which can be very painful.

"I'm also photosenstive. Sunlight triggers my lupus. I wear ultraviolet protective clothing to prevent a flare-up of my symptoms."

Lupus patients may also get migraines, kidney problems and suffer from fatigue, although Adetoun feels the symptoms are not always the biggest struggle.

She said: "The main problem I had to deal with was getting diagnosed. Often patients are not believed as they don't look unwell. We are treated as hypochondriacs. Lupus UK works on changing this attitude."

To bring this issue to the fore, Adetoun lectures at conferences and secondary schools and has been a speaker at the past three Black Staff Forums run by Lewisham Council. She feels it is important Lupus UK has presence at these events as the incidence of lupus is high in black and Asian women.

Adetoun's next venture is a sponsored walk on October 1. Visit lupusuk.com