SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL-POLLUTION -AN INVESTIGATION IN AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN NORTH GEORGIA

The etiology of systemic lupus erythematosus is not well understood, a lthough gender, race, genetic predisposition, and certain drugs are ri sk factors. Several environmental exposures have been implicated. In t his study, we examined the prevalence and incidence of lupus in an Afr ican-American community that experienced long-standing exposures to in dustrial emissions. We hypothesized that lupus was elevated among resi dents of a specific community in Gainesville, Georgia. We included bot h a retrospective cohort study and a cross-sectional study designed to assess the incidence and prevalence, respectively, of lupus. The prev alence of lupus was 3 cases/300 persons (1000/100000), Compared with t he highest reported prevalence, this represents a 6-fold increase. The incidence of lupus was 3 cases/4 709 person-years (63.7 cases/100000 person-years). Compared with the highest reported incidence, this repr esents a 9-fold increase. The hypothesis that environmental toxins may induce lupus is consistent with the known ability of certain medicati ons to do the same. The results suggest that long-standing exposure to industrial emissions may be associated with an increased risk of lupu s.