Despite Prevalence, However, Public Understands Little about Serious Health Effects of Lupus

(Washington, DC - LFA) – A nationwide poll conducted for the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) reveals that approximately three of every ten American adults know someone with lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the body’s own cells. Despite the widespread prevalence of lupus, however, the same survey indicates that a majority of adults in the U.S. know little about the disease that can cause life-threatening damage to major organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys or brain.

The poll of 1,013 adults was conducted by the survey research firm of RoperASW during the weekend of August 15-17. Among those individuals who participated in the telephone poll, 38% indicate they are somewhat or very familiar with lupus, while 39% have only heard of the name of the disease, and 22% have never heard of lupus.

Today, there may be tens of thousands of people, many of them young women, who suffer from lupus but are years away from being correctly diagnosed due to ignorance about lupus symptoms or health effects. Last year the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report that revealed a 60% increase in deaths attributed to lupus over a 20-year period. The report suggests that early recognition, diagnosis and treatment of lupus are vitally important to reducing lupus mortality.

Approximately 20% of the poll respondents report they know a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or classmate with lupus, 6% have a relative with lupus, and 3% have an immediate family member with the disease. Nearly twice as many women than men know someone with lupus, and women are nearly 40% more likely than men to be familiar with lupus

LFA TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO IMPROVE PUBLIC AWARENESS

The LFA will launch a new national information and education campaign entitled “Someone You Know Has Lupus,” to improve public awareness and understanding of lupus symptoms and health effects. The campaign targets those individuals most likely to be affected by lupus, especially women of childbearing age.

October is Lupus Awareness Month and the LFA and its nationwide network of chapters will begin their annual campaign by conducting events for individuals with the disease and members of their families and health professionals, as well as raising funds for research, education, and support services.

FACTS ABOUT LUPUS

Approximately 1.5 million Americans have a form of the chronic (incurable) disease that can result in severe joint pain and swelling, fevers, fatigue, fevers, skin rashes, anemia, chest pains, sun sensitivity, and other health effects, including organ failure and death. Lupus mostly strikes women of childbearing age – between 15 and 44 – although men and women of all ages can develop the disease.

Women of color have the highest prevalence of lupus, including African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asians. In fact, African Americans are two to three times more likely to develop lupus than Caucasians.

Symptoms of lupus mimic common illnesses and can go into periods of remission, making diagnosis difficult. An LFA survey of its members suggests that more than half of all people with lupus suffer four or more years and visit three or more doctors before obtaining a correct diagnosis of lupus.

Lupus is a hidden disease because most people with the disease have few visible symptoms and do not appear to be ill. The cause of lupus is unknown, though researchers believe lupus has a genetic basis and certain environmental influences can trigger disease activity in individuals predisposed to lupus.

There is no cure for lupus, but medications are prescribed that can control the disease in most patients. Unfortunately, current therapies for lupus can be toxic, causing other health problems, and no new medicines have been approved specifically to treat lupus symptoms in more than thirty years. But new research offers hope that safer and more effective treatments will be made available in the not too distant future.

FACTS ABOUT THE LUPUS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA

The LFA, based in Washington, DC, is the nation’s leading nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to improving the diagnosis and treatment of lupus, supporting individuals and families affected by the disease, increasing awareness of lupus among health professionals and the public, and finding the cure. For more information about lupus, visit the LFA website at www.lupus.org or call toll-free 888-38-LUPUS to request a free information packet.

# # #