Difficult to diagnose and to treat, lupus is a chronic and often disabling autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns on itself and attacks virtually any organ or tissue in the body. More than 1.5 million Americans and millions more worldwide, have lupus. African Americans are three times more likely to have lupus than Caucasians. While nine out of 10 people with lupus are women, men tend to have more severe consequences and are more prone to developing lupus nephritis.
