We are excited to participate as a team in the 2008 New York City Walk With Us to Cure Lupus Walkathon!
Saturday October 11th.
We’ve chosen to walk as a team to support our loved-ones.
We’ve chosen to walk as a team because teamwork can really make a difference in the funds we raise.
And we’ve chosen to walk as a team to spend time together, and to have fun.
To Donate or Join Click Here Team Phi Sigma Chi
ABOUT LUPUS:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, or lupus) is a chronic, potentially devastating autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns against the body?s own cells and tissues, causing inflammation and tissue damage. Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain.
Lupus affects people of all ages, including children, but it most often strikes people when they are between the ages of 15 and 45. Nine out of ten people with lupus are women.
Lupus is three times more common among African American women than among Caucasian women, and is also more common in women of Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent.
Lupus is by far the leading cause of death among young women with autoimmune diseases.
The risk of heart attacks, stroke, kidney failure, and osteoporosis is much higher in people with lupus than in the general population.
The number of people with lupus in the U.S. has been estimated to range from at least 270,000 to more than one million. It is difficult to estimate how many people have lupus because its symptoms vary widely and can come and go, its onset is hard to pinpoint, and diagnosis can be elusive.
The exact cause of lupus is unknown. Research suggests it is caused by a combination of genetic factors that make a person susceptible to the disease and environmental factors such as infection, sunlight, or stress that trigger the disease in susceptible individuals.
There is no known cure for lupus, and the same small group of medications?mainly corticosteroids and chemotherapy drugs?has been used to treat lupus for decades. These drugs are toxic, have unpleasant and sometimes-serious side effects, and can cause a host of long-term complications including osteoporosis, diabetes, infertility, and severe infections.
