About Lupus

So few have heard of it, yet worldwide it's seen as more common than leukemia, multiple sclerosis & muscular dystrophy combined!

Over 1:1000 Canadian men, women and children are living with lupus. The ratio of women to men (who are affected) is 9:1. and the average age of diagnosis is between 15 and 45.

Lupus is a chronic disease characterized by inflammation in one or more parts of the body.

It belongs in the family of diseases that includes rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, juvenile diabetes, and scleroderma. The most common type of lupus is systemic  lupus  erythematosus  (SLE).  It is estimated that lupus affects over 1:1000 Canadian's, thus there are thousands of people in Ontario with SLE.

Systemic lupus is a complex and sometimes baffling condition that can target any tissue or organ of the body, including skin, muscles, joints, blood and blood vessels, lungs, heart, kidneys and the brain.

There are other types of lupus which mainly affect the skin. A few individuals develop drug-induced lupus as a response to some medications used to treat other conditions. These symptoms disappear when the person stops taking the medication.

Visit www.lupusontario.org for more information or contact Lupus Ontario at 1-877-240-1099.