Human Health Project has provided significant research and information in regard to the disease lupus, in both the Shared Patient Information program as well as through HHP’s online event panel. Lupus, as referred to in the summary of the Lupus Shared Patient Information, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system attacks tissues and organs. Researchers believe that lupus develops in response to a combination of factors, including hormones, genetics, and environment. As further elaborated in the summary of the Lupus Shared Patient Information, there is a challenge in that lupus can be hard to diagnose. This is because its signs and symptoms are ambiguous and are similar to those of other conditions.

In addition, in the HHP online event, “What’s Wrong With Me: What to Do When You Can’t Get a Diagnosis,” which was held on October 30, 2020, there was also significant information shared regarding lupus. A panelist in this event, Dr. Andreas Reiff, reaffirmed the summary of the Lupus Shared Patient Information by noting the challenges lupus can present in making it difficult on the part of doctors to give a diagnosis. This is due, as mentioned by Dr. Reiff, to the ambiguity of symptoms in lupus patients. However, in noting this, there have been advancements in technology, as well as resources available to doctors, to help diagnose lupus. According to both the CDC and the Lupus Foundation of America, blood tests, as well as biopsies, in which doctors remove tissue from a part of an individual’s body to check if there are any signs of inflammation, can serve as effective tools in diagnosing lupus.

There are certainly challenges in diagnosing lupus, as noted in HHP’s Shared Patient Information, as well as explained by Dr. Reiff in the HHP online event panel. However, doctors nevertheless have the medical resources available, which allow for effective testing, that can help in successfully diagnosing lupus.    

More information about the HHP Lupus Shared Patient Information can be found here: https://sqa.humanhealthproject.org/lupus-general-v1-7/

More information about the HHP online event, “What’s Wrong With Me: What to Do When You Can’t Get a Diagnosis,” can be found here: https://sqa.humanhealthproject.org/events/