Illinois Statutes Chapter 20. Executive Branch § 2310/2310-377. Lupus education and outreach

(1) Lupus is a chronic, incurable auto-immune disease of unknown origin that mainly affects women of childbearing age, is difficult to diagnose, and causes severe, potentially life-threatening organ damage.

(2) The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that 1.4 million people in the U.S. have a form of lupus.

(3) Lupus causes the immune system to attack the body's healthy cells and tissues producing skin damage, rheumatoid arthritis, life-threatening inflammation of multiple major organs, and a potentially fatal failure of the renal, circulatory, or central nervous system.

(4) Symptoms include joint pain, rash, unusual loss of hair, unexplained fever, low blood counts, sensitivity to the sun, and fingers that turn pale or purple when exposed to cold.

(5) According to the Lupus Foundation of America, a survey of its members revealed that more than half of all people with lupus suffered 4 or more years and were examined by 3 or more doctors before obtaining a correct diagnosis.

(6) According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of lupus-related deaths between 1979 and 1988 increased dramatically; African American women, ages 45-64, experienced a 70% increase, the largest increase among all groups in the 20 years studied.