MEDICAL PROBLEMS: BRIEF
REVIEWSSYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS Michael J
Katz
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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is
a disease of autoimmune inflammation. In SLE, inappropriate antibodies are
produced and attack the bodys own tissues. The immune reactions of SLE
are initiated by autoantibodies to molecules in the cell nucleus and on cell
membranes. Resultant inflammatory damage occurs throughout the body, especially
in blood vessels. In the US, SLE affects approximately 1.5 million people, and
almost 30,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Ninety percent of newly
diagnosed SLE patients are women of child-bearing age. In the US, black women
are much more likely to get SLE than are white women
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