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April 12, 2006
Focus On Increasing Lupus Awareness
Posted at April 12, 2006 12:50 PM in Lupus .
The Barbado Advocate Posted - Mon Apr 10 2006
By Khalil Goodman
Doctors have seen a steady increase in the numbers of Barbadians who have lupus in the last few years. Doctor Cindy Flower, the lone rheumatologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, told the Barbados Advocate that presently the hospi tal has seen an increase of 15-25 new cases per year. Barbados also has a higher incidence of women affected by the disease than many other countries.
Flower spoke to the media early yesterday, while attending the annual new patient workshop held by the Hope Foundation. Speaking on the prevalence of the disease, Flower noted that lupus, which has a range of symptoms including rashes occurring after exposure to the sun, ulcers in the mouth, arthritis, fatigue and hair loss has been found to be m ore prevalent to persons of West African decent.
Given that Barbados has a population that is about 95 per cent of African descent, this would suggest one reason why there is such a high incidence of the disease. However, on average lupus tends to b e ten times more prevalent in women than in men. In Barbados the statistics suggest that it is14 times more prevalent in Barbadian women than men.
We believe that there may be an environmental trigger, said Flower, noting that along with some people b eing more genetically susceptible to the disease, environmental triggers like sunshine and silica have also been recorded as sources. We have always had sun and we have always had sand, therefore we think that there might be another environmental tri gge r, said Flower.
A nation-wide database is being established to record the numbers of persons affected by lupus. At present the hospital is aware of between 250-300 patients, but it is believed that the numbers of persons are far greater. Preside nt of the Hope Foundation, Shelly Weir, told the Barbados Advocate We know that 1 in 250 persons will have the disease and with Barbados population it is safe to say that there should be about 1 060 persons presently with the disease.
In March of this year, The Foundation launched a ten-month campaign of awareness for lupus. Along with workshops, the Foundation will also be having the annual Walk for Lupus in June, a seminar for medial persons so they too can stay on top of world-wide trends and more educational activities in the media and public. All in an effort to reach those unrecorded, but affected persons. Saturdays workshop dealt with clinical manifestations of lupus, conducted by Doctor Sharon Dowell; Treatment facilitated by Dr Kenne th Connell and Lupus affects on the Kidney, conducted by Professor George Nicholson. Digicel is heavily sponsoring this ten-month campaign and Weir noted This programme can only be truly successful if it is supported by the private sector and the medi a. To get the information to the general public.
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