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.
Lupus Center of Excellence at West Penn Allegheny Health System
In 2001, Susan Manzi, MD, and Joseph Ahearn, MD, founded Pittsburgh's first center dedicated solely to the treatment of lupus at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In 2010, Drs. Manzi and Ahearn brought their team of experts to West Penn Allegheny Health System, creating a leading center for lupus care that blends comprehensive, personalized care with robust research efforts. The Center's other physicians include medical director Fotios Koumpouras, MD; Amy Kao, MD, MPH; Mary Chester Wasko, MD, MSc; Elliott Goldberg, MD; Angela Stupi, MD; and Anisha Dua, MD.