Last Reviewed: May 14, 2008
Last Modified: May 14, 2008
Content Source:
Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities (OMHD) |
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Eliminate Disparities in Lupus
What is the Burden of
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (lupus) in the United States? |
Systemic lupus erythematosus affects a conservatively estimated 322,000
to possibly over a million people in the
United States.1
[Due to the lack of definitive epidemiological information,
the exact number of people with lupus is currently unknown.] About nine out of 10 people who have lupus are women.2 |
Approximately one third of deaths occur among men and women younger
than 45. During 1979-1998, the annual number of deaths from lupus
rose from 879 to 1,406 and the crude death rate increased from 39 to
52 per million population, with a total of 22,861 deaths reported
during this 20-year period.3
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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can affect persons of any age, but
strikes mostly young women of childbearing age. Lupus causes the
immune system to attack its own body cells. Lupus can cause severe
joint and muscle pain, extreme exhaustion, fevers, skin rashes, and
can lead to organ failure and death.4 |
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There are Several Forms of Lupus: |
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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
is the most serious type of lupus. SLE can affect many
parts of the body including joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, heart,
blood vessels, nervous system, blood, and brain. |
Not discussed in this document, are two other types: |
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Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE)
just affects the skin. It does not affect other organs,
like SLE. |
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Drug-induced lupus
is a reaction to some prescription medicines. The
symptoms of this type of lupus are similar to SLE, except you don't
have problems with your kidneys or central nervous system.5 |
The cause of lupus is not known. It is likely that there is no single
cause but a combination of genetic, environmental, and possibly
hormonal factors that work together to cause the disease.6 |
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Examples of Important Disparities |
Lupus is three times more common in black women than in white women.
It is also more common in women of Hispanic/Latina, Asian, and
American Indian descent. Black and Hispanic/Latina women tend to
develop symptoms at an earlier age than other women. African
Americans have more severe organ problems, especially with their
kidneys.7 |
Between 1979 and 1998, death rates from SLE increased nearly 70% among
black women between the ages of 45 and 64 years. Possible reasons
include an increasing incidence of SLE, later diagnosis, less access
to health care, less-effective treatments, and poorer compliance
with treatment recommendations. Each year during the study period,
death rates were more than five times higher for women than for men
and more than three times higher for blacks than for whites.8 |
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Promising Strategies |
Keys to preventing future deaths from SLE will require earlier
recognition and diagnosis, appropriate therapeutic management,
compliance with recommended treatment, and improved treatment of
long-term consequences, such as accelerated hardening of the
arteries (atherosclerosis).9 |
CDC is funding 2 population-based SLE registries in Georgia (DeKalb
and Fulton Counties) and Michigan (Wayne and Washtenaw
Counties) to better measure the prevalence, incidence, and impact of SLE. |
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What You Can Do |
There is no known cure for lupus, but there are effective treatments.10 |
Early diagnosis and the commencement of treatment are vital to
reducing the physical and economic impact of lupus.11 |
In developing a treatment plan, the doctor has several goals: to
prevent flares, to treat them when they do occur, and to minimize
complications. The doctor and patient should reevaluate the plan
regularly to ensure that it is as effective as possible. Working
closely with the doctor helps ensure that treatments for lupus are
as successful as possible. Because some treatments may cause harmful
side effects, it is important to promptly report any new symptoms to
the doctor. It is also important not to stop or change treatments
without talking to the doctor first.12 |
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Sources |
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1 Helmick CG, Felson DT, Lawrence RC,
Gabriel S, Hirsch R, Kwoh CK, Liang MH, Maradit Kremers H, Mayes MD,
Merkel PA, Pillemer SR, Reveille JD, and Stone JH for the National
Arthritis Data Workgroup. Estimates of the prevalence
of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the United
States: Part 1. Arthritis & Rheumatism 2008;58(1):15-25. |
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2
National Women's Health
Information Center (NWHIC), 2003 |
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3
CDC
Office of Communication (OC), 2002 |
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4
HHS Office of Minoirty Health Resource Center (OMHRC), 2001 |
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5
NWHIC, 2003 |
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6
NWHIC, 2003 |
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7
NNWHIC, 2003 |
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8
OC, 2002 |
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9
OC, 2002 |
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10
NWHIC, 2003 |
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11
OMHRC, 2001 |
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12
Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC): Treating Lupus |
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