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| |  Misunderstanding About Lupus Puts Young People At Risk ROCKVILLE, MD -- December 29, 1997 -- The age group perhaps most likely to be afflicted with lupus (18-24) is also the age group least likely to be aware of this devastating and potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease, according to the results of a recent telephone survey by the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). The survey also revealed that people of all ages are misinformed about the fundamental facts of lupus. At least 1.4 million Americans, mostly women, are believed to have lupus, an acute and chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system, for unknown reasons, becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue. The survey revealed that only four out of 10 young adults ages 18-24 claimed to be aware of lupus, even though the disease often strikes during the childbearing years. Symptoms of lupus can mimic other, less serious illnesses and may be dismissed while serious organ damage is occurring. The survey of more than 1,000 adults also revealed that while 65 percent of respondents claimed awareness of lupus, only 20 percent could offer accurate basic information about the disease. Only 37 percent of claiming to know about lupus (22 percent of all respondents) knew that the disease strikes mainly women. Additional respondents y, 14 percent who claimed awareness erroneously thought this fact was false. When asked whether lupus had a racial skew, more people mistakenly said false (25 percent) rather than true (15 percent). Developed to assess the public's level of awareness, understanding, and involvement with lupus, the survey also revealed that women (39 percent) were significantly more likely than men (19 percent) to know someone with the disease. In addition, people in higher income brackets seemed to know more about lupus than did lower income people. The survey also confirmed that even claims of lupus awareness (65 percent) are well below familiarity with other diseases, including multiple sclerosis (83 percent), breast cancer (91 percent), AIDS (91 percent) and heart attack (93 percent). "These results are revealing of America's lack of real awareness and understanding of lupus," said LFA president Terry Bell. "These results also underscore the need to educate the public about this devastating disease. We hope to change public perception and understanding of lupus through the new national awareness campaign launched this fall."
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