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TOPLINE:

A population-based study showed that lupus accounted for roughly 304,200 years of potential life lost among US women aged 15-44 years (2000-2015), ranking 14th among the leading causes of premature death in that age group and ninth among women aged 15-24 years, surpassing causes such as diabetes and HIV infection.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed a US-based database managed by the CDC (2000-2015) to evaluate the premature mortality burden of lupus in young women by measuring years of potential life lost and comparing it with the leading causes of death and other autoimmune diseases.
• They tabulated death counts for 28 diseases including the CDC’s top 15 leading causes of death, lupus, and 12 other autoimmune diseases; 28,411 deaths in women with lupus listed as the underlying or a contributing cause were identified from 2000 to 2015.
• Years of potential life lost before age 75 years were calculated for each condition as the sum of 75 minus the age at death for deaths occurring before age 75 years in women aged 15-44 and 15-24 years.
• Sensitivity analyses were repeated in female decedents from 2018 to 2024, during which 24,531 female deaths with lupus recorded as a cause of death were identified.
• Researchers also compared National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding for lupus vs several diseases with a similar mortality burden.

TAKEAWAY:

• From 2000 to 2015, lupus was the 14th leading cause of death among women aged 15-44 years and ninth among those aged 15-24 years, surpassing diabetes, HIV infection, septicemia, chronic lower respiratory disease, anemia, nephritis, and cerebrovascular disease. After excluding the three common external injury causes of death (unintentional injury, suicide, and homicide), lupus ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the 15-24 age group and 11th in the 15-44 age group.
• In sensitivity analyses of data from 2018 to 2024, lupus ranked 13th among women aged 15-24 years and 15th among women aged 15-44 years.
• Among common autoimmune diseases, lupus ranked first for years of potential life lost among women aged 15-24 years and second among women aged 15-44 years during 2000-2015; during 2018-2024, it ranked second in both age groups.
• Despite its high ranking for years of potential life lost, NIH research funding for lupus was lower than that for several other diseases with a similar mortality burden.

IN PRACTICE:

“The [years of potential life lost] ranking gives a new and meaningful perspective regarding premature mortality in lupus and supplements other methods of assessing disease burden. Recognition of lupus as a leading contributor to premature mortality may inform public health reporting, prevention priorities, and research prioritization,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Eric Y. Yen, MD, MS, MPH, University of California, Los Angeles. It was published online on May 7, 2026, in ACR Open Rheumatology.

LIMITATIONS:

The study relied on the quality and accuracy of death certificate data, which may have underreported lupus as a cause of death. Death certificate data for some causes, such as cardiovascular disease, may have been overestimated. Additionally, the NIH funding data used for comparison did not capture all sources of research support.

DISCLOSURES:

The study did not report any source of funding. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.