I have a chronic, incurable, potentially fatal disease of my immune system. I am thankful that lupus is not contagious, because the other features of this disease are hard enough to deal with. Surprisingly, although many people have not heard of lupus, it is a very common disease. It is more prevalent than the combined numbers of those who have muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, leukemia, and cystic fibrosis. It is more widespread among black women than sickle cell anemia.
Lupus affects all races, age groups, socioeconomic groups, and both sexes.
However, ninety percent of lupus patients are women, with the usual age of onset being between 16 and 36. In lupus the immune system, which is supposed to protect the body against environmental and infectious agents, turns against itself and attacks and destroys healthy tissue. Without treatment even a mild case of lupus may become life-threatening. What makes our newsletter different from other lupus newsletters is that our staff writers are all lupus patients, coping with the same problems all lupus patients must face. Our articles are written from the point of view of the patient, not the doctor.