dozens of other illnesses.

And only careful review of someone's medical history and a series of laboratory tests will confirm the presence of the potentially fatal illness.

But one local association is playing a double role of bringing comfort and hope to those afflicted and raising community awareness about the condition.

This month is world-wide Lupus Awareness Month and to mark the occasion, the Lupus Association of Bermuda will hold a Charity Walk on October 31. See below .

Lupus is a chronic auto immune disease which causes inflammation of various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood and kidneys.

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, more people have lupus than AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anaemia and cystic fibrosis combined.

It affects one in every 2,000 Americans and strikes women nine times more frequently then men.

Unfortunately, there are no local statistics on the number of Bermudians afflicted with lupus.

The disease varies in severity from mild to occasionally life-threatening and the cause is still unknown.

Lupus sufferer and association secretary for the local association, Sylvie Elliot said that having a positive attitude was a big factor in living with the disease.

"Lupus affects everyone differently and everyone reacts to the medication differently,'' she explained. "Some people may have a hard time living with the disease. The key is to know your limitations.'' She said most sufferers experience fatigue, stiffness and swelling of joints.

"With medication it can be controlled, but there is no cure for it,'' she added. "You can live with this but you just have to be in tune with your body.

Rose Butterfield, president of the local association, said she was living proof that people can function with the disease.

"I have had it for 12 years,'' she pointed out. "How long you can live with the disease depends on the degree and what organs are affected by the disease.

"If it is just in your joints, you can live like any other person -- it is just about taking care of yourself. But if other organs are involved, you can get complications.'' There are three types of lupus -- discoid, systemic and drug-induced: Discoid lupus: which is also known as cutaneous lupus, is confined to the skin and is identified by a rash that appears on the face, neck and scalp. This type of lupus generally does not attack internal organs.

Systemic lupus: is more severe than discoid lupus and can affect any organ in the body. No two people will have identical symptoms of systemic lupus.

Drug-induced lupus: certain prescribed medications can cause a lupus-like syndrome similar to systemic lupus. But rarely does it affect either the kidneys or the nervous system. When the drugs are discontinued, the symptoms of lupus fade. Ms Butterfield recalled that when she was first diagnosed with the disease there was little support for sufferers.

"When I was first diagnosed there was no information out there on lupus,'' she added. "Now there is an association which circulates pamphlets and gives support to those with the disease. We met every quarter at Peace Lutheran Church in Paget.'' And thanks to advances in medical technology, those with lupus can now face the future with more hope. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, with early diagnosis and current therapy, 80 or 90 percent of those afflicted with the disease can look forward to a "normal lifespan'' if they follow their doctor's advice and take their medication.

And the US group said: "New research brings unexpected findings each year.

The progress made in the last decade has been greater than that made over the past 100 years.'' The Lupus Association of Bermuda's Charity Walk will begin at 7.30 a.m. at Barnes Corner in Southampton. Participants will walk to Somerset Bridge and back. To get a pledge sheet 234-1967 or 292-2293 after 6 p.m. There will be a $2 participation fee.

SYMPTOM -- One of the symptoms of lupus in skin rashes as pictured here.