New preliminary data presented at the American College of Rheumatology about research underway at the University of California, San Francisco shows that lupus isn't just affecting minority communities at a higher rate, but that among African Americans, the affliction is particularly dire. According to data released by the California Lupus Surveillance Project - spearheaded by Dr. Maria Dall'Era, Director of UCSF Lupus Clinic, medical data shows that both new infection rate and currently afflicted rate of those affected by lupus soar among African Americans, and in particular, among African American women.

New annual cases of lupus in San Francisco county stands at about 5 per 100,000 population, but among African American women, the number soars to nearly 30.

And when it comes to total amount of the population living within San Francisco, the numbers are just as stunning. 96 out of every 100,000 San Franciscans of all races and genders suffer from lupus, but the disease is nearly 5 times as prevalent among African American women.

A full presentation of the data set is available here. We note here that this data is preliminary and only represents the City and County of San Francisco. However, as one of the most diverse areas of the country, this data is likely to provide a snapshot elsewhere as well. We look forward to further updates from the Lupus Surveillance Project.

This data also underlines the critical need for education about lupus among primary care providers. To that end, LFNC is happy to announce that we are working with the American College of Rheumatology and the Lupus Research Institute to hold seminars to make these key stakeholders aware and actively think about lupus when patients present symptoms.