Most lupus sufferers are female. About 90% of diagnosed individuals are women.
African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans are at least twice as likely to have lupus as Caucasians.
For those who have and are diagnosed with lupus the averge ages are between 15 and 45 years.
Families with a history of autoimmune conditions show a slightly higher rate of other family members having lupus; however, rates for siblings, children and other relatives are rather low statistically. The average rate of having more than one member with lupus or a related condition is 20%. Children of mothers with lupus run about a 5% of developing the disease.
Some students suggest that a history of having purpra during childhood increases the chances of having lupus as an adult.
Testing for Lupus
If your doctor does suspect lupus based on outward or self-reported symptoms, he or she will take blood and run an antinuclear antibody test called and ANA test. This test determines whether you have specific antibodies made by your immune system which are or can attack your body.
A positive ANA test can only suggest lupus. Often, the test comes back false positive.In other words, the test suggests that you have lupus when, in fact, you do not. So, the doctor will consider the test along with other tests in making a determination on the diagnosis.
In a few cases, all the classic signs of lupus are evident, but the ANA comes back negative. Some rheumatologists refuse to consider a false negative test and will not classify a patient with a negative ANA as having the disease. A few doctors are now accepting that lupus (or some similar type autoimmune condition) may be present even when the ANA test does not indicate the presence of antibodies generally seen in lupus cases.