Tag Archives: lupus and women

lupus women demographic

Lupus Strikes Some Groups of Women Harder and More Often

Ninety percent of people in the United States who have the chronic autoimmune disease lupus are women and, according to two new studies published recently in Arthritis & Rheumatology, large proportions are Hispanic or Asian. Like African-Americans, these two ethnic/racial groups are not only at higher risk of lupus than whites, they’re also more likely to have aggressive forms of the disease, researchers in New York and San Francisco found.

Lupus, or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an affect virtually every organ system, and symptoms vary widely. Some patients have relatively mild skin and joint symptoms that may go into remission for long periods. Others have cognitive (neuropsychiatric) manifestations or life-threatening complications such as lung, heart and kidney problems.

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