Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood, kidneys, lungs, heart, nervous system, and/or other body organs or system. It acts as if the body is allergic to itself.
Lupus is more prevalent than AIDS, sickle cell anemia, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and cystic fibrosis COMBINED. It is estimated that over 1.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with Lupus; 16,000 people are diagnosed each year.
Lupus affects one out of every 185 people; 90 percent of whom are women. Lupus is more prevelent in African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian-Americans.
Only 10 percent of people diagnosed with Lupus will have a close relative (parent or sibling) who already has or may develop Lupus. Only about five percent of the children born to individuals with Lupus will develop the illness.
Although Lupus ranges from mild to life-threatening and 20,000 Americans die with Lupus each year; the majority of cases can be controlled with proper treatment. · Sunlight, infection, injury, surgery, stress or exhaustion can trigger “flares” in Lupus (a more active state of the disease).
Lupus is NOT infectious, rare or cancerous.
Increased professional awareness and improved diagnostic techniques and evaluation methods are contributing to the early diagnosis and treatment of Lupus. With current methods of therapy, 80-90 percent of people with Lupus can lead full normal lives.
While medical science has not yet developed a method for curing Lupus, new research brings unexpected findings and increased hope each year
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