About Lupus
More than 1.5 million Americans and more than five million people worldwide have lupus -- a life-diminishing and life-threatening disease which strikes mostly young women in the prime of their lives. Every half hour another American is diagnosed with lupus. African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians and Native Americans develop lupus more frequently than Caucasians, a health disparity that remains unexplained.
Lupus causes the immune system to attack the body's own cells and tissues. Lupus can attack the body for years before the disease is diagnosed. The disease can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriage and organ failure. Lupus can be as deadly as cancer. Thousands die each year from lupus.
The need is great. There is no cure and no single test to diagnose it. Funding for lupus research has lagged behind funding for other similar diseases – with deadly impact. There hasn’t been a new drug approved to treat lupus in more than 40 years. Treatments for lupus often have life threatening side-effects that can be worse than the disease itself.