New: Newsletter for June 2004

For most people, lupus is a mild disease affecting only a few organs. For others, it may cause serious and even lifethreatening problems. More than 16,000 Americans develop lupus each year. It is estimated that 500,000 to 1.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with lupus.

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys. The body's immune system normally makes proteins called antibodies to protect the body against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign materials. These foreign materials are called antigens. In an autoimmune disorder such as lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances (antigens) and its own cells and tissues. The immune system then makes antibodies directed against "self." These antibodies, called "autoantibodies,"react with the" self" antigens to form immune complexes. The immune complexes build up in the tissues and can cause inflammation, injury to tissues, and pain.

The Toxic Waste/Lupus Coalition Project was established to explore the high risk of infection for the African American community due to environmental toxic pollutants. The Toxic Waste/Lupus Coalition (TWLC), the University of Buffalo (UB) and the Systemic Autoimmune Disease Research Center of WNY (SADRC of WNY) have formed a partnership to investigate pockets of autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease with a particular focus on lupus.

The Coalition investigates toxic waste sites and sources of pollution and take an inventory of pollutants at each site. We identify the population potentially exposed and identify specific clusters of lupus within that population. The coalition evaluates clean up of toxic sites, conducts community outreach and educational workshops. We are working to develop a city-wide registry of autoimmune disease cases to insure that all individuals are properly diagnosed and treated.