Autoimmune disorder lupus affects women more than men
World Lupus Day is observed every year on May 10 to raise awareness of the life-changing autoimmune disease
image for illustrative purpose
The condition, also known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), affects millions of individuals worldwide. In India, 3.2 cases of SLE are documented per 100,000 people
New Delhi: Female sex hormone oestrogen and the X chromosome play a significant role in making women more vulnerable to the autoimmune disorder lupus’, said experts on World Lupus Day on Friday.
World Lupus Day is observed every year on May 10 to raise awareness of the life-changing autoimmune disease, in which the body attacks its organs by producing certain substances called antibodies.
Symptoms predominantly include fever, fatigue, malar rashes, multiple large and small joint pains, breathlessness, sometimes difficulty in swallowing, and chest pain.
The condition, also known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), affects millions of individuals worldwide. In India, 3.2 cases of SLE are documented per 100,000 people. However, globally women in the reproductive age range disproportionately account for up to 90 per cent of cases of the SLE.
Despite recent progress in the understanding of lupus, the striking female-to-male ratio of disease incidence remains largely unexplained.
“But some studies point out that sex hormones play a major role in causing genetically predisposed women more vulnerable to lupus; oestrogen specifically is likely to contribute more to the development of lupus,” Dr Anu Daber, Sr Consultant Rheumatology, Paras Health Gurugram, told IANS.
Research also highlights the connection between X chromosomes in women and the development of lupus, meaning in females, having two active X chromosomes would overwhelm the cellular machinery.
“To prevent this, one X chromosome is inactivated in each developing cell. This process, called X-chromosome inactivation, might influence how the immune system learns to identify threats. Variations in how efficiently this inactivation occurs could potentially lead the immune system to mistakenly target the body's own tissues, contributing to autoimmune diseases like lupus,” Dr Anu explained.
