“But no worries!,” Braxton wrote to fans. “I will be out any day now.”

READ: Celebrities With Autoimmune Diseases

The 45-year-old singer of “Un-break My Heart” revealed two years ago she has lupus, a potentially deadly autoimmune disease that killed Braxton’s uncle. She also suffers from a narrowing of the blood vessels in her heart.

Braxton said in a recent “20/20” interview that doctors told her the lupus diagnosis meant her performing career would likely be diminished.

READ: The Many Faces Of Lupus

Lupus 101

But oddly, people tend to point their fingers at things like aging when it comes to less attractive things, like hair loss, unsightly nails and skin problems, according to Health.com.

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In fact, these flaws can actually be signaling underlying health issues, says integrative medicine specialist Molly M. Roberts, M.D., of the Institute for Health & Healing, in San Francisco, and president of the American Holistic Medical Association.

“It’ll start by whispering, then it’ll start talking, and, if you don’t pay attention, it’ll start yelling and shouting, and then you’ve got an illness,” she says.

Here are just a few of the noticeable signs of potential health problems beneath your skin’s surface.

Hair Loss
The Problem: Thyroid disorder

Pregnancy, stress, disease, medications and changes in hormones all can contribute to hair loss.  But among women in particular, dry, thinning hair may be a sign of an underactive or overactive thyroid. A simple blood test can check whether the body is making normal amounts of thyroid hormone.

Cracked Lips
The Problem: Sjögren’s syndrome

Severely cracked, dry lips may be a reaction to medication, an occupational hazard (if you’re a brass musician), or a symptom of allergy, infection or other conditions. Cracking at the corners of the mouth may also be a symptom of Sjögren’s (pronounced SHOW-grens) syndrome, an immune system disorder. Sjögren’s causes dry eyes and dry mouth, as well as joint pain and dry skin. As many as 4 million Americans — mostly women — have this condition.

Dark Skin Patches.
The Problem: Diabetes/Cancer

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“Common lupus symptoms – including fatigue and pain – can be invisible to others, so many patients feel isolated and alone. Further, in an effort to not burden their family or physician, patients often underplay what they are actually experiencing,” said Susan Manzi, MD, MPH, Co-Director of the Lupus Center of Excellence and Chair of the Department of Medicine of West Penn Allegheny Health System.

Lupus Out Loud encourages lupus patients to pledge to make an appointment with their doctor and to speak frankly about the true impact of lupus on their daily lives. In addition, Lupus Out Loud’s new video “Voices” features several lupus patients across America and illustrates that the collective voice is more powerful than one voice.

Lupus facts:

• Prevalence: About 90 percent of people diagnosed with lupus are women[2]; the disease is more common in women of African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent than in Caucasian women.

Read: Nick Cannon & His NCredible Health Hustle: Episode 5

Read: Nick Cannon Reveals His Autoimmune Disease Battle

“A few days ago, I was with my family in the snow, playing, having a good time,” he says. All of a sudden, I started swelling up, having shortness of breath, excruciating pain in my right side. I wake up in the hospital, a bunch of doctors telling me I’ve got kidney failure.”

While Cannon used the term “lupus-like” without going into further detail, it is known that autoimmune diseases occur when the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells. In particular, lupus involves the immune system attacking its own body’s tissues and organs, and is most known for the butterfly-wing-like rash that appears on the face.

The 31-year-old has revealed that the kidney disease he was hospitalized for earlier this year was a result of an autoimmune disease, People magazine reported.

The kidney disease was caused by “autoimmune disease that [doctors] found in my system,” Cannon told People, and went on to say that the doctors told him his “autoimmune disease is — like a lupus type of thing, but no one else in my family has it.”

While Cannon didn’t explain further what his disease was, we know that autoimmune diseases occur when the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells. There are more than 100 autoimmune diseases, according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association.

Lupus in particular is when the immune system attacks the body’s tissues and organs, according to the Mayo Clinic, and is most known for the butterfly-wing-like rash that appears on the face. Symptoms of lupus are different from case to case, but common symptoms include fever, fatigue, joint pain, the facial rash, chest pain, headaches, dry eyes and skin lesions, the Mayo Clinic reported.

Cannon was hospitalized in January with what his wife Mariah Carey described as a “mild kidney failure.” Doctors say she probably meant that Cannon had something called acute kidney injury, or acute kidney failure, which is when the kidneys stop functioning properly and allow fluids, waste and electrolytes to store up in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.

And just last month, the “America’s Got Talent” host was hospitalized again for blood clots in his lung and an enlarged heart ventricle, the New York Daily News reported. Cannon told People that the blood clots were linked with his kidney disease.

Shortly after being hospitalized for the blood clots, Cannon stepped down from his “Rollin” radio show on 92.3 NOW.

He said in a statement on the 92.3 NOW website:

Under doctor’s orders, I have been asked to put my health first and cut back on some of my professional commitments in order to allow my body to get the rest that it needs to keep up with the demands of my multi-tasking schedule.

Click on the link below to read about Black celebrities impacted by autoimmune diseases.

What You Need To Know:

• Get more omega-3s
Reduce lupus-related inflammation by frequently eating foods rich in omega-3s, such as flaxseed and fatty fish; take up to 20 grams a day of fish oil under a doctor’s supervision

• Discover DHEA
Under your healthcare provider’s supervision, take up to 200 mg a day of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone to improve lupus symptoms

• Uncover food sensitivities
Work with a knowledgeable health professional to find out if certain foods aggravate your condition

These recommendations are not comprehensive and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or pharmacist. Continue reading the full lupus article for more in-depth, fully-referenced information on medicines, vitamins, herbs, and dietary and lifestyle changes that may be helpful.

The Braxton family stated in a recent screening of their TV show on the WE network that Toni had a setback with her fight against Lupus and thought to admit herself to the hospital.

“Everyone knows she has lupus,” Towanda Braxton said. “She had a minor scare and went to the hospital to run tests and make sure everything was okay.”

Facts About Lupus

 • Lupus is an autoimmune disease.

• Your body’s immune system is like an army with hundreds of soldiers.

• The immune system’s job is to fight foreign substances in the body, like germs and viruses. But in autoimmune diseases, the immune system is out of control.

• It attacks healthy tissues, not germs.

• Lupus is a disease that can affect many parts of the body.

• Everyone reacts differently.

• One person with lupus may have swollen knees and fever. Another person may be tired all the time or have kidney trouble. Someone else may have rashes.

• Lupus can involve the joints, the skin, the kidneys, the lungs, the heart and/or the brain.

• If you have lupus, it may affect two or three parts of your body.

• Usually, one person doesn’t have all the possible symptoms.

If you have questions about lupus, or think you may have it, be sure to contact your doctor immediately.

Studies show that physical exercise can lower the risk of heart disease in lupus patients and is also beneficial in decreasing the risk of osteoporosis. Exercise can also be helpful in managing fatigue and pain and improving overall quality of life for people with lupus.

How Does Exercise Help Lupus Patients?

Here are a few ways that exercise can benefit people with lupus:

1. Fatigue. Being physically active helps prevent fatigue, a major symptom of lupus. Studies have shown that lupus patients who participate in an aerobic exercise program are able to reduce their level of fatigue and have more energy throughout the day.
2. Cardiovascular benefits. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with lupus. If you have lupus, you’re at risk of getting heart disease up to 20 years sooner than the general population. Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise like walking or biking, can decrease your risk of heart disease.
3. Obesity. Obesity is a common problem in people with lupus. Obesity can increase your level of pain, put more strain on inflamed joints, increase your risk of heart disease, and make your fatigue worse.
4. Osteoporosis. Women with lupus are especially vulnerable to osteoporosis. Loss of bone mass has been reported to be as high as 46 percent in these patients. Weight-bearing physical exercise is an important part of osteoporosis prevention.
5. Sleep disturbances. People with lupus have more problems sleeping than the general population. This can add to lupus fatigue and stress. Many studies show that aerobic exercise is one of the best ways to improve sleep.
6. Quality of life. Because lupus is a chronic and unpredictable disease, it can produce stress and anxiety. Aerobic exercise has been found to reduce depression in people with lupus and improve their overall sense of well-being.

What Kinds of Exercise Work Best?

Exercise regimens that focus on muscle strengthening and improving endurance are best. Some examples are swimming, walking, low impact aerobics, and bicycling.

Men may be less likely to get these diseases than women are, but that doesn’t mean the danger–and the need for preventative measures–isn’t there.

Breast Cancer: One Man Per 108 Women

All of us are born with breast tissue. Women tend to have more of it, thanks to hormones, which is one reason why their breast cancer rates are higher. But men are at risk, too. In 2009, the American Cancer Society determined that 1,910 men would be diagnosed and 440 would die from invasive breast cancer. The potential causes are similar between men and women–excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, high estrogen levels (in men, this could be the result of Klinefelter’s syndrome or cirrhosis), genetic predisposition, and so on. Breast cancer is most common among men aged sixty to seventy.

Doctors used to believe that men were less likely than women to survive breast cancer, but their survival rates are about the same. The National Cancer Institute thinks the mistaken belief was due to men’s not being screened for the disease earlier in life (as women are with mammograms), which means their diagnoses often happen at later, and more terminal, cancer stages.

Lupus: One Man Per Nine Women

For centuries, doctors have known that autoimmune diseases are more common in women. The difference might be due to the way estrogen levels affect the immune system in women and men.

Among young people, lupus affects females especially heavily. In the 50s and beyond, women still account for most cases, but men start to catch up. Older patients tend to be more concerned that they’ve developed a disease that pops up more in women. A 19 year-old man with lupus may not care, per se, but the 55 year-old men may be a bit more traditional. Sometimes  there’s a bit of reticence or embarrassment on their part over the diagnosis.

Men tend to have more serious cases of the disease than women, and it’s often especially severe in young men. However, men typically respond as well to treatments – which are mostly the same for men and women — and the risk of death from the disease is similar.

Osteoporosis: One Man Per Four Women

Look at any advertisement for calcium supplements or osteoporosis treatment, and it’s obvious who’s being targeted–namely, not men. While it’s true that women are more prone to weakened bones, the National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that two million men have it currently, while twelve million more are at risk. Women have smaller frames, which give them less to work with as calcium depletion rises with age. But while women are often tested for bone density around menopause because their hormonal changes make bones more fragile, men aren’t until something major happens, like a fracture.

Men die more from hip fractures than women (31 percent, compared with 17 percent), partly because their fractures tend to happen later in life, and partly because the disease progresses unchecked so for long, severely damaging their frames. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, 6 percent of men will have hip fractures by age fifty. Age isn’t the only trigger, though. Lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and getting little to no exercise, as well as certain medications (for example, those that contain steroids, like asthma medication), ethnicity, and family history, are all possible risk factors.