| October
is Lupus Awareness Month: Mystery Illness Strikes Young
Women
No
doubt learning that one’s unexplained symptoms—including extreme
fatigue, joint pain, sun-sensitivity or a rash—are caused by
the disease lupus is a frightening experience for a young woman.
But, for many, awareness is the first step toward healthier
living.
October
is National Lupus Awareness Month, and the Alliance for Lupus
Research (ALR) is urging young women, who make up the majority
of new lupus patients, to learn more about this mysterious
illness. “Part of the Alliance for Lupus Research’s charge
is to help build awareness about this disease,” said Barbara
Boyts, president of ALR. “With greater awareness among physicians
and patients we are beginning to see improved diagnoses and
care, and anticipate continued advances.”
“Research
is helping lupus patients lead healthier lives,” said Joseph
E. Craft, M.D., the ALR’s scientific advisory board chair. “There
have been remarkable advances in our understanding of the disease,
from its cause, to new treatment approaches.”
Lupus,
an autoimmune disease, triggers the body to attack healthy
organs and tissues, and affect any part of the body. Common
symptoms include achy or swollen joints, prolonged or extreme
fatigue, frequent fevers, rashes, sun-sensitivity, or mouth
ulcers.
Robert
Wood Johnson IV, of the Johnson & Johnson healthcare family
and owner of the NFL’s New York Jets, and the Arthritis Foundation,
founded the non-profit ALR. Since 1999, the ALR has committed
more than $24 million to research to prevent, treat and eventually
cure this disease.#
For
more information, contact the Alliance for Lupus Research
at (800) 867-1743 and www.lupusresearch.org.
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 1588, New York, NY 10159.
Tel: (212) 477-5600. Fax: (212) 477-5893. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2003.
|
