LUPUS NEPHRITIS: ROLE OF ENVIORM. & OCCUPATIONAL EXP.

描述（摘自研究者摘要） 系统性红斑狼疮（SLE）是一种病因不明的疾病， 女性比男性更容易受到影响。 美国SLE发病率 黑人比白人高得多，在更早的年龄发展， 发病率和死亡率增加。 严重的肾脏受累发生在 到40%的患者，而且，再次，更频繁，更迅速， 黑人进步 SLE和肾脏疾病的环境危险因素 疾病已被假定，并可能发挥重要作用，在这些患者 患有系统性红斑狼疮的人会发展成狼疮性肾炎。 先前的研究 考虑了社会经济地位、血清学指标和MHC基因的作用 作为种族差异的解释，但环境和 职业因素尚未得到审查。 使用来自 卡罗莱纳狼疮研究（CLU）和肾小球疾病协作组 GDCN，该提案有两个目标： 1. 研究职业与环境之间的关系 接触肾毒性剂，包括有机溶剂、重 金属、二氧化硅和吸烟，以及患狼疮的风险 肾炎;以及 2. 为了确定职业和环境接触是否 加剧了已知的种族差异， 狼疮性肾炎的危害

DESCRIPTION (Taken from the Investigator's Abstract) Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease with unknown etiology that affects women more frequently than men. The incidence of SLE in American blacks is much higher than in whites, develops at an earlier age, and has increased morbidity and mortality. Significant renal involvement occurs in up to 40% of patients and is, again, even more frequent and more rapidly progressive in blacks. Environmental risk factors for SLE and for renal diseases have been postulated and may play an important role in those patients with SLE who go on to develop lupus nephritis. Previous studies have considered the role of socioeconomic status; serologic measures and MHC genes as explanations of the racial differences, but the role of environmental and occupational factors have not been examined. Using study subjects from the Carolina Lupus Study (CLU) and from the Glomerular Disease Collaborative Network (GDCN), this proposal has two aims: 1. To examine the association between occupational and environmental exposure to nephrotoxic agents, including organic solvents, heavy metals, silica, and smoking, and the risk of developing lupus nephritis; and 2. To determine whether occupational and environmental exposure aggravate the known racial differences in both the incidence and severity of lupus nephritis.