Solobay Resolution Marks Lupus Awareness Month in PA

The state Senate has unanimously passed a resolution marking May as “Lupus Awareness Month,” state Sen. Tim Solobay said recently.

“This resolution is designed to draw attention to a disease that affects over 65,000 Pennsylvanians—and one out of every 185 Americans—yet often goes hidden from view,” Solobay told his colleagues during remarks on the Senate floor.

Solobay, D-Canonsburg, co-chair of the Legislature’s “Lupus Caucus,” is the prime sponsor of the resolution, which also recognizes May 10 as “World Lupus Day” in Pennsylvania.

Drawing attention to symptoms of the disease can save thousands from unnecessary pain and health risks, Solobay said.

“The symptoms of lupus often mimic less serious illnesses, so individuals with the disease can go untreated for years because of the difficulties in diagnosing it,” he said.  “Lupus is often referred to as ‘the disease that fools.’”

Lupus continues to be a public health problem that attracts rare attention and, unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot of research to try to find a cure. Yet it strikes more people than leukemia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and cystic fibrosis combined, Solobay said.

“Fortunately, with early diagnosis and therapy, 80 to 90 percent of people with lupus can enjoy a normal lifespan,” he said.  “Increased awareness, treatment availability, and improved diagnostic techniques are critical to its early diagnosis and treatment.”

Solobay urged constituents to visit the website of the local chapter of The Lupus Foundation of America for more information.