Autoimmune Disease: Lupus

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation. There are several types of lupus, although systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is the most common. The inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different parts of the body, including the skin, joints, brain, heart, blood vessels, and kidneys.¹

While lupus can affect anyone, it is most common in women aged 15 to 44 years, and African-American women are more likely to have lupus than white women. Lupus may trigger other health problems in women, such as coronary artery disease and kidney disease.²

The Lupus Clinical Trials Unit at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) conducts research on many aspects of SLE, including genes that are associated with a higher risk of lupus, biomarkers that help predict flares in people with lupus, and sex differences in immune and inflammatory systems. NIAMS also funds and supports researchers at other organizations who are working to better understand the causes of this disorder.³