What is Lupus?

No Two Lupus Cases Are Alike

Lupus—(Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)—is a chronic and often disabling autoimmune disease, difficult to manage and difficult to diagnose, to date, without cure.  For most people, Lupus is a mild disease affecting only a few body organs; for others, it may cause serious and even life threatening problems.  Some people develop kidney problems, for example, while others get premature heart disease and others still suffer from strokes or develop lung inflammation.

There is no known cause or cure for lupus. No new treatments have been approved for lupus in 50 years, and the treatments currently available can often be toxic and more damaging than the disease itself.

Estimates indicate that more than 1.5 million Americans have lupus.

Current statistics indicate that Lupus affects adult women of childbearing age, and suffer from such symptoms as intense fatigue and exhaustion, joint pains, thinking and memory problems, and skin rashes. Approximately 10 times more frequently than men. Children are also affected by Lupus. Even though Lupus is more prevalent in this country than AIDS, sickle cell anemia, cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis, it is the least known of all major diseases