Proclamation 5710 --
National Lupus Awareness Month, 1987
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
Systemic
lupus erythematosus or lupus is often called ``the
great impersonator'' because it can mimic so many other diseases. A disorder of
the body's immune system, lupus may affect the joints, the skin, and one or
more internal organs (such as the kidneys, heart, and brain) in varying
combinations. As many as 500,000 Americans -- mostly women in their
childbearing years -- may suffer from this autoimmune disorder.
Normally,
an individual's immune system protects him or her from infection by producing
antibodies that react with and eliminate foreign substances. In autoimmune
diseases such as lupus, however, the immune system can harm the individual by
making antibodies that react against the person's own tissues.
Scientists
are not yet sure why the body's antibody-producing system behaves this way, but
they are conducting extensive research seeking the cause of the disease. Their
research studies include: investigations on genes that underlie the development
of the disease; research on a wide variety of immune system components and
chemical messengers; research on initiation of abnormal immune reactivity; and
hormonal studies. Such fundamental studies will lead to the design of improved
treatments that alleviate the symptoms of lupus, or even better, attack the
disease itself.
Thanks
to recent research progress, lupus has become more a chronic disease than the
acute and often fatal disorder it was decades ago. Nevertheless, deaths do
occur, and new research findings and new approaches to diagnosis and treatment
are needed to eliminate lupus. A concerted Federal-private research effort is
working to ultimately uncover the cause and cure for this distressing disease.
The
Congress, by Public Law 100 - 106, has designated the month of October 1987 as
``Lupus Awareness Month'' and authorized and requested the President to issue a
proclamation in observance of this event.
Now,
Therefore, I Ronald Reagan, President of the
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of
September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred
and eighty-seven, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register,