MedPage Today reported on a study by HSS rheumatologist Medha Barbhaiya, MD, MPH who found that minority patients in the United States with systemic lupus erythematosus were at an increased risk of strokes compared with Caucasians.

According to Dr. Barbhaiya, African American patients with lupus had a 34 percent increased risk for any stroke, while Hispanic patients had a 25 percent increased risk.

"Whereas risk of stroke shows substantial sociodemographic variation in the general U.S. population, little is known about racial/ethnic variation in risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and specific risk factors among SLE patients," noted Dr. Barbhaiya and her team of researchers.

"Further research confirming the current findings and investigating factors such as genetics, biomarkers, lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity, medications, and other thrombotic risk factors is needed," they added.

Read the full article at medpagetoday.com.