Lupus Statistics

Table of Contents

• Awareness
  • The Ad Council's survey found that only 18 percent of women are personally concerned about lupus. The majority of respondents expressed concern about other health-related conditions, including cancer (67%), depression (61%), high blood pressure (58%), diabetes (57%) and arthritis (52%). Furthermore, approximately 29% could not correctly define lupus as an autoimmune disease, and 31% were not aware that women of childbearing age are most at risk.
  • 50% of Lupus patients see at least 3 doctors, over at least 4 years before being diagnosed.
  • In a nationwide poll of 1,000 adults conducted for the LFA, 61% said they knew little to nothing about Lupus.
• Prevalence
  • 1.5 million Americans suffer from Lupus that is 1 out of every 200 Americans.
  • Estimates say 16,000 Americans develop Lupus each year.
  • 90% of those with lupus are women.
  • Lupus affects African Americans three times more commonly than Caucasians. Asians, Hispanics, and Native Americans are also more commonly affected.
  • 80% of those with Lupus develop it between the ages of 15-45.
  • Discoid Lupus accounts for about 10% of Lupus cases.
  • Click to view the prevalence of Lupus by country.
  • About 5% of the children born to individuals with Lupus will develop the illness.
  • 20% of people with Lupus will have a close relative (parent or sibling) who already has Lupus or may develop Lupus.
• Symptoms
  • About 10% of Lupus patients also have symptoms of some other connective tissue disorder.
  • 40-60% of SLE patients have photosensitivity.
  • 50% of SLE patients will have a neuro-psychiatric disorder such as seizures, headache, memory loss or depression.
  • 65% of SLE patients will have skin involvement including malar rashes and discoid lesions.
  • Achy or swollen joints are found in 95% of patients.
  • Unexplained fevers are  found in 90% of patients.
  • 50% of SLE patients have kidney involvement.
  • 27% have hair loss.
  • Mouth or nose ulcers have been found in 12% of SLE patients.
  • 71% are anemic.
  • 81% of SLE patients have prolonged and/or extreme fatigue.
• Prognosis
  • Thousands of Americans die of Lupus each year.
  • Only 50% of lupus patients lived 4 years after diagnosis in the 1950s. Currently 80-90% of Lupus patients survive 10 years or more after diagnosis.
  • About 15% of arthritis deaths are from SLE.
  • Almost 37% of SLE deaths are among people between 15 and 44.
  • Lupus deaths are five times higher for women than men.
  • Lupus deaths are three times higher for blacks than whites.
  • Mortality Ratios in the US for Systemic Lupus according to a Connecticut Health Center Study:
• Research
  • No new treatment has been approved by the FDA for Lupus in over 50 years.
  • We still do not know what causes Lupus.
• Economic Impact
  • Two of three Lupus patients reported a complete or partial loss of their income because they no longer are able to work fulltime due to complications of lupus.
  • One in three patients have been temporarily disabled by the disease, and one in four currently receive disability payments.
  • According to a Lupus Foundation of America membership survey, one in four patients receive their health care through a government-sponsored program, such as Medicare or Medicaid.
  • Lupus costs the nation over $100 billion a year in direct and indirect medical costs