Racial Disparities in Lupus Addressed at Congressional Briefing for First Time

Event Presented by the LRI National Coalition and Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA)

Congressional staff, lupus advocates, and government representatives gathered on Capitol Hill on October 4th for a briefing to hear about a long-neglected subject: the devastating impact of the autoimmune disease lupus on women of color.

Leading lupus physicians, NIH staff, private sector advocates and others, including the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation, presented models for grass roots, community-based intervention programs designed to reach minority populations.

Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American women not only run a substantially increased risk of developing lupus, but are more prone than others to suffer from very serious and potentially life-threatening complications such as kidney failure.

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