Over 60% of diagnosed prevalent cases of lupus nephritis in the UK in are seen in class IV and V, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. It is, therefore, likely that the diagnosis of lupus nephritis is often delayed.

Nneoma Okeke, Epidemiologist at GlobalData, comments: “This could be due to an initial misdiagnosis of the disease, which results in late diagnosis or treatment beginning at a more advanced stage. According to GlobalData, diagnosed cases are increasing annually in the UK, with an annual growth rate (AGR) of 0.47% highlighting the importance for an increase in awareness.”

There are over 6,000 identified rare diseases affecting more than 300 million people worldwide. While most rare diseases are genetic, almost 30% are the result of infections, allergies and other environmental causes.

Okeke continues: “Rare diseases such as lupus nephritis are continually being discovered. As such, COVID-19 could play a role in the development of a new rare disease. While the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, it is difficult to predict what residual effects will be seen in populations affected by the virus. However, there have already been reports of ‘long COVID-19’, where symptoms persist for over three months after a patient is diagnosed. Those with long COVID-19 will need to be monitored and evaluated further to get a better understanding of this disease, which may evolve into a rare disease.

“Rare diseases affect millions of people worldwide, and increased awareness could lead to more timely diagnoses and treatment, improving the quality of life for those affected”.