About Lupus

Lupus is a chronic, inflammatory disease in which the body's immune system fails to serve its normal protective functions and instead forms antibodies that attack healthy tissues and organs.

Lupus is more prevalent than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell anemia, and AIDS combined. At the present time there is neither a known cause nor cure, but it can be treated. Early diagnosis combined with proper treatment can lead to a reasonably normal life span for many lupus patients.

Facts and Figures

• Lupus affects approximately one out of every 185 people, most of whom are women diagnosed during their child-bearing years; however, lupus also affects men, children, and the elderly.
• African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and Native Americans are at a higher risk for lupus.

Symptoms

• Extreme fatigue
• Persistent, low-grade fever
• Joint pain
• Muscle aches
• Skin rash (typically over the bridge of the nose and cheeks)
• Weight loss
• Hair loss
• Dizziness
• Nausea