THURSDAY, Jan. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Just over 200,000 Americans have the autoimmune disease lupus, and minority women are at the highest risk, according to a new study.
It is the first estimate of how widespread the disease is in the United States. The number comes close to reclassifying lupus as a rare disease, defined as a disease that affects 200,000 Americans or fewer, the researchers said.
“Our study may redefine systemic lupus erythematosus as a rare disease in the US and lay the foundation for where we need to focus our efforts to reduce the burden of the disease in Americans,” said lead investigator Dr. Peter Izmirly in a press release from NYU Langone Health in New York City. He is a rheumatologist and associate professor of medicine in the health system.
In lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus), the immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissue, especially joints and skin. The condition can be fatal and often results in debilitating fits of fatigue and pain that prevent nearly half of adult patients from working.
Previous estimates of lupus were greater but not verified.
In this study, researchers analyzed records for 5,417 adults and children diagnosed with lupus since 2002 on all U.S. state registries for the disease as well as the Indian Native Health Service. Next, they calculated the number of people with lupus for each gender and ethnic group and applied those numbers to the 2018 census population data.
They concluded that out of 100,000 people across the country, 72.8 had lupus, making a total of 204,295 out of 330 million people.
The study found that nine times more women than men have lupus and the rate was highest among Native American / Alaskan women at 270.6 per 100,000.
Black women had the second highest rate (230.9 per 100,000), followed by Hispanic women at 120.7 per 100,000.
Similar racial differences were observed in men with lupus, with Alaska Native Americans having the highest number at 53.8 per 100,000, followed by black men at 26.7 per 100,000.
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