How rare ?

[letslaugh63]

well I was under the impression lupus was a rare disease my friends neighbour has it,so what I thought but yesterday I bumped into a friend haven't seen in a long while and guess what she's got lupus and she also told me Helen who works in theatre tavern also has it.well I live in a small coastal town and not one for disagreeing with statistics but was wondering when last count was done because I'm wondering if it's not as rare as people think.no I'm not saying it's as common as the cold or flu but not in my opinion as rare as I was lead to believe x

[Loopylooby]

It's more common than MS and Leukemia. Told my best friend about my diagnosis and her mum has it too! I never knew!

[letslaugh63 in reply to Loopylooby]

In wonder how many have it that know and how many don't.I'm a thinker can't help that but it makes me wonder if they don't diagnose it keeps numbers down.x

[overnighthearingloss in reply to letslaugh63]

I am unsure whether it is on the rise, just better detected or part of the red car syndrome.

Thats when you buy a red car you are more inclined to notice other people who have a red car.

[copdber]

I thing it's just more frequently diagnosed nowadays. I live in a very small estate my neighbour has it my daughter's college has it, when my daughter in law was going to her antenatal class there was a lady there with it. Also there is a new lupus group just formed in the town where I live. Also lupus is not supposed to be hereditary but my mother had it. I wonder how many others have a family member with it.

[janiceray]

As a member of Lupus U/K they can only go on the amount of members they have ( I personally believe that all Lupus sufferers should join) the bigger the voice to be heard.

They do a remarkable Job and there are local groups all over the U/K and the funding for research and Lupus Nurses goes on.(Off my Band wagon)!!!

There are people out there who don't even what to talk about it.and so many not yet diagnosed!!

With the internet these days more and more people get to know about Lupus whether they understand is another thing as its so complex.

Yes it is strange to find you might have not heard prior to your diagnoses and when you do

you find many more near to you.There is a ? mark about it being hereditary its not proven one way or another .

Take care

Love & Sunshine

Jan x

[roobarb in reply to janiceray]

Here, here regarding Lupus UK. They are life savers & sanity preservers in my opinion. X

[Sher78]

Lupus is more common than cancer.

I think the number or people suffering with AI conditions bought on by environmental causes has definitely risen but I also think (although it doesn't seem like it most of the time) medics r more aware than they were 50 years ago. New advances in the medical world r being made everyday so it's only natural that new illnesses & different strains of illnesses will b discovered or become evolved whereas maybe years ago, there were only certain illnesses they really studied & maybe through looking at those, studying treatments, different medications etc, that maybe distracted from or masked other issues going on, other issues were explored. I've rambled a bit there. I know what I'm trying 2 say, even if no 1 ELSE does! Yes, I have my lupoid head on 2day

[Melinda]

When my sister was diagnosed with it in the nineties, we all said, what on earth is it. Myself and my family had no idea it was an autoimmune disease connected to my mothers RA. It was well known in America at the time. Nowadays everyone has heard of Lupus, allthough they are not quite sure of what it is. It seems today everyone knows someone who has Lupus.