Women get Lupus 9x more, Johns Hopkins learns why

Women and biological females are nine times more likely to be diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Lupus than males, and now researchers at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins have found why. 

Genetic material that only exists in biological females — the X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) — triggers a protein in the immune system known as toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7). This protein then reacts with RNA and damages healthy tissues, according to a Nov. 13 news release. 

The discovery could lead to the development of enhanced therapeutic treatments for individuals experiencing the disease. 

"XIST has now taken on a different role, an alarm signal related to autoimmunity," Brendan Antiochos, MD, a co-author of the study published Sept. 23 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and a professor at Johns Hopkins University stated in the release. "The immune system activation through XIST and TLR7 is female-specific, helping explain the observation that lupus is so much more common in women compared to men."

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