CINCINNATIPeople living near a former uranium ore processing facility in Ohio are experiencing a higher than average rate of lupus, according a new study conducted by scientists at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system and other organs of the body. The underlying causes of lupus are unknown, but it is usually more common in women of child-bearing age.
For this new study, a collaborative team of UC and Cincinnati Children's researchers wanted to compare lupus rates between people who were exposed to uranium and those who were not in an effort to explain the high number of lupus cases reported in a Cincinnati community.
Extensive review of medical records and serum antibody analysis to verify the cases, concluded that people who were exposed to higher levels of uranium, based on their living proximity to a former uranium ore processing plant, had lupus rates four times higher than the average population.
"Former studies have suggested that people with lupus may be more sensitive to radiation and that both genetics and environmental exposures play a role in disease development. Our study shows a strong correlation between uranium exposure, a radioactive substance, and an increased lupus rate that merits further investigation," says Pai-Yue Lu, MD, a pediatric rheumatology fellow at Cincinnati Children's and lead researcher for the study.
"With more research in this area, we may gain additional insight on the types of environmental factors that contribute to lupus development and the mechanisms by which they work," Lu adds. "There could be other effects of uranium and related exposures that could contribute to or help explain our findings."
Lu is presenting this finding and its potential implication at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting
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| Contact: Amanda Harper amanda.harper@uc.edu 513-558-4657 University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center Source:Eurekalert |
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