For reasons we do not understand, about 75 percent of autoimmune diseases occur in women, most frequently during the childbearing years. Hormones are thought to play a role, because some autoimmune illnesses occur more frequently after menopause, others suddenly improve during pregnancy, with flare-ups occurring after delivery, while still others will get worse during pregnancy. Autoimmune diseases also seem to have a genetic component, but, mysteriously, they can cluster in families as different illnesses. Research is shedding light on genetic as well as hormonal and environmental risk factors that contribute to the causes of these diseases. However, taken as a whole, they represent the fourth-largest cause of disability among women in the United States.
Individual diseases range from the benign to the severe.
Symptoms vary widely, notably from one illness to another, but even within the same disease. And because the diseases affect multiple body systems, their symptoms are often misleading, which hinders accurate diagnosis. To help women live longer, healthier lives, a better understanding of these diseases is needed, as well as providing early diagnosis and treatment. An inflammation of the connective tissues, SLE can afflict every organ system. It is up to nine times more common in women than men and strikes black women three times as often as white women.