Facts About Lupus

• Close to 1.5 million Americans are affected by Lupus, with 16,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
• The occurrence rate of Lupus is 10 times higher for women than men
• However, that still amounts for more than 136,000 men being diagnosed with Lupus

Sources: The S.L.E. Lupus Foundation and the Lupus Federation of America

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys. Because many misconceptions still remain about the disease many people have gone misdiagnosed for years. One such misconception is that Lupus is a “woman’s disease”, despite the fact that many men are affected. Lupus can occur at any age, and in either sex, although it occurs 10-15 times more frequently among adult females than among adult males after puberty or after the emergence into sexual maturity. The symptoms of the disease are the same in men and women. People of African-American, American Indian, and Asian origin are thought to develop the disease more frequently than Caucasian women. The reasons for this ethnic selection are not clear.

We are seeking your help in combating a disease that is affecting over 500,000 to 1.5 million Americans. Each year more than 16,000 new cases of Lupus are diagnosed. Because many lupus symptoms mimic other illnesses, diagnosis is a difficult process as there is no single laboratory test that can determine whether a person has lupus or not. We are seeking to change that by providing funding to the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation, Inc. for further research in diagnosis and treatment of this silent killer.

For more information on Lupus, see a informative presentation from the National Institute of Health here or visit the websites of the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation and the Lupus Federation of America.