Lupus Clinic
(612) 873-2700

Clinic hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays

The Lupus Clinic at Hennepin County Medical Center provides comprehensive care for patients living with lupus. With preventative healthcare services all in one location, the clinic provides streamlined access and high quality care to patients with lupus as well as any patient with sicca (dry eyes and dry mouth) symptoms, which are often a feature of Sjogren’s syndrome.

Because people with lupus face possible kidney failure, strokes, heart attacks, disabling pain, disfiguring skin rashes and other serious health problems, multiple specialists can be required for treatment.  Lupus sufferers are at risk of increased mortality from renal failure, infections and cardiovascular disease.  Yet the outlook for most lupus patients has improved dramatically over the past several decades, and the vast majority of lupus patients live normal life spans. 

Substantial challenges and perplexing problems still exist.  Despite the improvements in treatment for lupus, a very high percentage of lupus patients, possibly as many as 50 percent, will suffer loss of a job and disability within 15 years of the diagnosis of lupus.  Additionally, new data presented at one of the American College of Rheumatology annual meetings highlighted the fact that over the past 10 years the incidence of new lupus cases per year rose 30 percent.  The cause of this dramatic increase in the incidence of lupus is unknown. 

Since lupus is primarily a disease affecting young woman of childbearing age, the disease often impacts families.  Data from the U.S. Renal Data System and the 2000 U.S. Census suggests that the burden of coping with severe kidney disease falls disproportionately upon African American women suggesting that minority racial and ethnic groups in the United States may not be receiving adequate health care for lupus and lupus nephritis, and/or they are not responding to treatment the same ways as Caucasians.

There are three goals for the Lupus Clinic:

• Coordination of care among specialists to provide comprehensive service and maximum convenience for patients.
• Access to investigational clinical trials for patients with challenging problems that have been resistant to conventional treatments.
• Providing a comprehensive program of needs assessment and support for patients who may be suffering from pain, fatigue, and stress of chronic illness.
  

To schedule an appointment with one of our specialists, call 612-873-2700.