Public Lecture - Lupus and the Brain

John Hanly, Professor of Medicine and Pathology at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease. SLE most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys, but also the brain and the nervous system, in up to 75% of the cases. The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remissions. The disease occurs nine times more often in women than in men. In France, nearly 50 people per 100 000 inhabitants is affected by Lupus, and there are an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 patients. SLE can be fatal, and there is no real cure; it is treated with immunosuppression and pain relief, to keep symptoms under control. The survival rate was in the 1950s was only about 50%, but has increased to over 90% in the past decades due to increased understanding and better diagnosis, and new treatment options with less negative side effects. It remains however a very complex, serious illness.

John Hanly, John Hanly, a world-renowned expert in the area of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, will give a broad overview of the topic and present the recent important developments in the understanding and treatment of the effects of Lupus on the brain.

See this link for more information and registration for this lecture.

• May 11 is the World Lupus Day; more information can be found here.

Poster of the lecture of 12 June 2015

Programme of the World Lupus Day 2015 in Strasbourg