• Lupus is a significant, life-diminishing and life-threatening disease in which the immune system
attacks the body’s own tissues and organs. More than 1.5 million Americans have
lupus – enough people to fill Yankee Stadium 30 times.
• While lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age, no one is safe from lupus. African
Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians and Native Americans develop lupus more frequently than
Caucasians, but this disparity remains unexplained.
• Lupus can damage any part of the body, including the skin, lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain. No
organ is spared. The disease can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages, and kidney
failure. Thousands of people with lupus die every year.
• There is no cure for lupus, and there is no single test to diagnose it. There hasn’t been a new
treatment approved for lupus in more than 40 years. Funding for lupus research has lagged
behind funding for other similar diseases.
• It is essential that the public and private sectors greatly increase their investments in medical
research on lupus. This research will lead to the discovery of new, less toxic, and more effective
medications for lupus and, eventually, a cure.