Systemic lupus erythematosus
The rate of SLE varies between countries, ethnicity, and sex, and changes over time. In the United States, one estimate of the rate of SLE is 53 per 100,000; other estimates range from 322,000 to over 1 million. In Northern Europe the rate is about 40 per 100,000 people. SLE occurs more frequently and with greater severity among those of non-European descent. That rate has been found to be as high as 159 per 100,000 among those of Afro-Caribbean descent. Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus generally presents between the ages of 3 and 15 and is four times more common in girls.
Alliance for Lupus Research
The hallmark of ALR's operations are an emphasis on multidisciplinary science. A keen focus on research that can be moved quickly from the laboratory to a patient's bedside. Research funded by the ALR has included the 2008 International SLE Genetics Consortium (SLEGEN), which identified several genes associated with lupus.