Racial and Social Factors in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

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Abstract
An epidemiologic study of systemic lupus erythematosus in a defined area of New York revealed significant racial differences in susceptibility. Morbidity and mortality rates were highest among Negroes residing in the area studied, followed in descending order by the rates for Puerto Ricans and then other whites. Confirmatory data were obtained on a city-wide basis from reported deaths and on a national level from discharged patients of Veterans Administration hospitals. The racial differences observed in New York were independent of poor housing, overcrowding, and migration. They were associated with racial differences in γ-globulin levels of normal individuals.