If you and at least one other family member have lupus, you can help scientists hunt for the causes of, and new treatments for, the disease. A national project to register people with the disease started earlier this year and has already enrolled 310 people in 45 families. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases , a component of the National Institutes of Health, provided funds for the project. Lupus is called an autoimmune disease because the person's immune system produces antibodies that attack her or his own tissue. Ninety percent of those diagnosed with the disease are women and the disorder often strikes during childbearing years.
Black women are three times more likely than white women to develop lupus.
The fact that it can run in families suggests that genes are involved, but so far researchers have not been able to gather enough genetic evidence to prove the link. The LMRR researchers are collecting blood samples and other information on people with lupus and their families. All who qualify for the study receive a consent form, a questionnaire and collection materials. Samples of their blood are processed and stored in the lupus repository. DNA from these samples will be analyzed for the presence of genetic markers, which could be used to identify possible lupus genes.