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WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Lupus Foundation
of America, an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 Americans with the autoimmune
disease lupus eventually will develop lupus-related kidney disease,
known as lupus nephritis. Lupus nephritis is one of the most serious
manifestations of lupus and can lead to serious health problems,
kidney failure, disability or death.
Lupus is the prototypical autoimmune disease which causes inflammation
to various parts of the body, including major organs such as the
kidneys. Approximately 1.5 million Americans have a form of lupus,
mostly women. Lupus is more common among people of color, and African
Americans have a higher rate of lupus kidney disease than do Caucasians.
The exact reasons for this disparity are not know, but researchers
have identified a gene associated with increased risk of lupus kidney
disease in African Americans.
The immune system normally produces antibodies, or proteins, which
protect the body from foreign invaders, such as viruses or bacteria.
In people with lupus, the immune system produces abnormal antibodies,
called autoantibodies, which form immune complexes that lodge in
various tissues. Lupus nephritis occurs when autoantibodies form
or are deposited in kidney tissue, causing inflammation and preventing
the kidneys from functioning properly. Some people with lupus nephritis
may have complete loss of kidney function. If this happens, a patient
may need to go on dialysis or even need a kidney transplant.
Many advances have been made in treating kidney disease and, if
caught early, treatment usually is effective. Medicines can decrease
this inflammation. The most common medicines used are corticosteroids
(which decrease inflammation) and cytotoxic or immunosuppressive
drugs (which suppress the activity of the immune system).
Unfortunately, current treatments are toxic and can cause other
serious health problems. No new drugs have been approved to treat
lupus is nearly 40 years. However, several promising new therapies
are undergoing clinical study or awaiting approval by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration.
The Lupus Foundation of America is the nation's leading nonprofit
voluntary health agency dedicated to finding the causes and cure
for lupus. For more information about lupus and lupus nephritis,
visit LFA website at http://www.lupus.org or call 1-888-38-LUPUS,
or your local chapter, to request a free brochure.
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