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A New Free Report - What Is Lupus?
This fascinating new report from UK-based publishing house Health Research Today answers some of the most-asked questions about this baffling disease :
- What is the medical definition of lupus?
- What are the symptoms of lupus?
- What tests are there for lupus? How do you get a diagnosis?
Fill in this form and we will send you the report immediately, which you are welcome to send on to friends or family!
Who Gets Lupus?
This article is an extract from the ebook Freedom From Lupus!
Lupus in Men
Lupus is a disease seen in significantly fewer men than women. Many scientists believe that lupus is not as common in men due mostly to male hormones being less compatible with lupus related activity. Male hormones usually suppress autoimmunity, thus males with lupus usually have below normal testosterone levels and other androgens.
However, exact statistics are difficult to come by. For studies to be valid a large number of male patients need to be studied over at least five to ten years. Since 90 percent of SLE patients are women, the numbers of males and time frame provides a difficult hurdle.
The studies that have been done provide no better diagnosis for men afflicted with lupus than women. The studies either show a similar or gloomier prognosis for men with lupus.
In the 1960's a study was done on the fetuses miscarried by SLE patients1. When they counted the number of males versus females, the number of males was greater. It could mean that males with the SLE gene are less likely to be born, so ultimately there are fewer males with SLE.
Yet studies on males with Klinefelter's syndrome offer a contradiction. Klinefelter's syndrome is a chromosomal disorder in which males have an XXY chromosomal makeup. It was found that these patients have a greater incidence of SLE.
While the reasons for the lower number of males with SLE is still being studied, it is known that males with lupus have more severe forms of the disease. It is also noted that hormones play an important role, as after the age of 50, the incidence of lupus becomes slightly greater in men than women. Much of the equality has to do with drug-induced lupus, as men of that age are prescribed lupus-causing drugs more often than women.
Read the rest of this article in Freedom From Lupus!
© Health Research Today
