One in 700 women aged 20 to 65 and 1 in 245 American black women will be affected by systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), a chronic inflammatory disorder that occurs when the body's own immune system attacks organs and tissues (1-2). Lupus means "wolflike", so named because symptoms of the autoimmune disease include an appearance of a rash over cheeks and the nose (1). Symptoms can also include mouth sores, joint pain, swelling around the lungs and heart, and kidney disease (2). Diagnosis and Treatment An antinuclear antibody (ANA) test makes it easy to diagnose lupus because almost every lupus patient tests positive (1). Other ways to diagnose are with complete blood count since lupus can commonly cause anemia, erythrocyte sedimintation due to inflammation, kidney and liver assesment, urinalysis that checks for protein and red blood cells in urine, chest X-ray to see inflammation, electrocariogram to identify irregular rhythms or damage in the heart, and a syphilis te...