SLE is an often crippling and potentially fatal autoimmune disease that is nine times more prevalent in women than in men, and four times more likely to affect African American females than Caucasian females. It is suspected that a genetic predisposition along with environmental factors contribute to the clinical manifestation of SLE. The Lupus Genetics Studies consist of several familial SLE studies, including the Lupus Family Registry & Repository (LFRR, formerly known as the Lupus Multiplex Registry & Repository, or LMRR). The Lupus Studies enroll families of all ethnicities with one or more members diagnosed with systemic lupus to determine what genes contribute to the development of the disease.