• Profile
Close

Mortality rate for people with lupus remains higher than U.S. rate overall

University of California - Los Angeles Health News Nov 14, 2017

While the mortality rate in the United States have declined over the past four decades, UCLA researchers found that the mortality rate for people with lupus has not declined as much as it has for the population overall.

The researchers found that among people with lupus, mortality rates are still higher for black people than for other ethnicities; rates for women are higher than those of men; and those in the South were higher than for other regions of the U.S. Mortality rates for people with lupus were affected by where they lived.

More than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported each year, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

Although there is no cure for lupus, the 10-year survival rates improved dramatically from the 1950s, when they were only about 50%, to the 1980s, when they exceeded 90%. But the UCLA researchers sought a more comprehensive understanding of long-term trends in mortality for people with the disease.

The researchers cross-referenced mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with population data from the U.S. Census Bureau from 1968 to 2013. They compared annual, age-standardized mortality rates between systemic lupus erythematous and all other causes. The scientists also examined data by demographic categories.

Understanding trends in mortality rates for people with lupus is important to ensuring equity in health care. The UCLA study could provide public health officials with information they can use to design interventions to address disparities in care.

Next, the researchers plan to examine causes of death among people with lupus across the same time period they analyzed in the current study. They will examine how long-term death rates are influenced by environmental factors, such as socioeconomic status and access to care, and by biological factors, such as genetics and epigenetics.

Dr. Eric Yen, a clinical instructor in UCLA section of clinical immunology and allergy, is the study’s first author. Co-senior authors are Dr. Ram Raj Singh, a UCLA professor of medicine and pathology, and Dr. Arun Karlamangla, professor in residence in the UCLA division of geriatrics. Other authors are Dr. Magda Shaheen, Jennifer Woo, Neil Mercer, Ning Li and Dr. Deborah McCurdy, all of UCLA.

The study titled, "46-Year Trends in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Mortality in the United States, 1968 to 2013: A Nationwide Population-Based Study," was published online October 31, in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Go to Original
Only Doctors with an M3 India account can read this article. Sign up for free or login with your existing account.
4 reasons why Doctors love M3 India
  • Exclusive Write-ups & Webinars by KOLs

  • Nonloggedininfinity icon
    Daily Quiz by specialty
  • Nonloggedinlock icon
    Paid Market Research Surveys
  • Case discussions, News & Journals' summaries
Sign-up / Log In
x
M3 app logo
Choose easy access to M3 India from your mobile!


M3 instruc arrow
Add M3 India to your Home screen
Tap  Chrome menu  and select "Add to Home screen" to pin the M3 India App to your Home screen
Okay